{"product_id":"white-collar-blues-the-making-of-the-transnational-turkish-middle-class-paperback","title":"White-Collar Blues: The Making of the Transnational Turkish Middle Class - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMustafa Yavaş\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eConsider the lucky few. They studied hard and aced high-stakes tests, survived demanding schooling and extracurriculars, graduated from top colleges and immediately landed high-pay, high-status corporate positions in tall buildings. What happens after this middle-class dream of fast-track careers comes true? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhite-Collar Blues\u003c\/i\u003e follows the Turkish members of the global elite workforce as they are selected into, survive within, and opt out of coveted employment at transnational corporations. State-employed doctors, lawyers, and engineers were long seen as role models until Turkey followed the global tide of neoliberalism and began to embrace freer circulation of capital. As world-renowned corporations transformed Istanbul into a global city, Turkey's best and brightest have increasingly sought employment at brand-name firms. Despite achieving upward mobility within and beyond Turkey, however, many Turkish professionals end up feeling disappointed, burned out, and trapped in their corporate careers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing from more than one hundred interviews in Istanbul and New York City, Mustafa Yavaş develops a theory of middle-class alienation, explaining how so-called \"good jobs\" fail elite workers. Yavaş shows how educational investments in an increasingly competitive landscape lead to high hopes, which then clash with poor work-life balance, low intrinsic satisfaction, and a felt lack of meaning from labor in corporate workplaces. Highlighting the trade-off between freedom and financial security, \u003ci\u003eWhite-Collar Blues\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the hidden costs of conflating the quest for socioeconomic status with the pursuit of happiness.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMustafa Yavaş is a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Economy and Society at SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.75 x 8.5 x 5.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 24, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45523790561382,"sku":"9780231213615","price":72.52,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/q3QF46XBNi9780231213615.webp?v=1776538016","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/white-collar-blues-the-making-of-the-transnational-turkish-middle-class-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}