ALCStudies Journal

Labor & Identity in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Presented as Part of the Alloy Pittsburgh Project
June 11th 2013 7PM
The Pumphouse, Munhall PA (at the Waterfront)

Local writer and presenter Chuck Lanigan uses images, stories and the results of his research and interviews to spark a discussion on the evolving nature of work and what it means to our identity and value as individuals and communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The questions to be explored include:

• How we value and reward certain kinds of work as individuals and as a society
• The competence and skill involved in work done with the head versus work done with the hands
• How we educate and train workers and students for a global knowledge economy
• The future of the trades and manual labor
• How work has defined families and individuals in our region

Lanigan earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Communication from the University of Pittsburgh. He served on the executive board of the Pittsburgh Regional Knowledge Management Consortium (PRKMC) the IT Workforce Education board at Catalyst Connection of Western Pennsylvania, and as board president of STC WorkQuest.

He has taught at the University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration (CBA), Katz Business School Center for Executive Education (CEE), Penn State University Outreach and Carnegie Mellon University.

He has written for CIO Magazine, done art reviews for the Pittsburgh City Paper, and presented at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh People’s University on subjects ranging from technology in literature and popular culture, to the Irish Potato Famine and the changing face of Pittsburgh’s labor force.