Deindustrialization as a folk model.

The concept of the deindustrialization of the United States, the 'widespread systematic disinvestment of the nation's productive capacity', describes an economic reality. But deindustrialization also signals a new political discourse on economy and society, a discourse involving a revised American folk model of unplanned capitalist growth. This folk model falsely dichotomizes Sunbelt and Snowbelt, manufacturing and service sectors, and male and female jobs, and these cultural constructions prevent a clearer analysis of actual global economic shifts. -Author