To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of the Christian Free Enterprise

This book is full of assertions about Wal-Mart that I find rather subjective. There is no way to prove or disprove that this is true.Wal-Mart, in Moreton's view, is a bizarre amalgam of cultural forces that came together in the Ozarks. First, it represents a kind of populism - independence from the control of Northern capitalists and bankers - that is also based on offering low prices to the masses. Second, it is a secular substitute for the church (not a Christian company but "following scripture") that acts much like an Evangelical mega-church, from its corporate rituals to the appearence of its aisles. Third, it is a stand-in for "family" with its friendliness as well as its lack of a living wage for women (who are "contributing" to the family not as independent feminists but dependent mothers). Taken together, it is a new kind of capitalist synthesis that mimics the Evangelical Christianity of its rural customers. That is about it for the ideas. There are some additional details about scholarship programs and the "meaning" of so many students majoring in business, but they contribute little to the central idea. The description also basically stops in the mid-1990s, over 10 years before what I am researching, i.e. Wal-Mart's efforts to become a more ethical company since 2006.When I read these kind of things, I often think of a friend of mine who remarked on a complicated psychological interpretation. "Yeah," she said, "it might be that way but it might not be that way." The bottom line is, so what about the ideas - what use are they? I can see none for my current purposes, though you would think there would be a natural fit with the company's new concern for ethics. This is very disappointing to me. Moreover, the author avoids addressing the issue of whether Wal-Mart's christian culture is a massive hypocrisy, given its alleged labor practices and behavior in the global markets, as many lefties charge is the case with the self-proclaimed moral superiority of the Evangelical right.That being said, the book is very well written, far better than one can expect from similar cultural deconstructions. The author is also erudite and explores some interesting history of the Ozarks. Thus, if you enjoy this kind of interpretation of cultural ideologies, I would recommend this book. But if you are interested in how the company operates in a more practical way, forget it.

"To Serve God and Wal-Mart" by Bethany Moreton is an exceptionally erudite account of the economic and cultural conditions that fueled the rise of the service economy's paradigmatic corporation, Wal-Mart. Ms. Moreton, who is an Assistant Professor of History and Women's Studies at the University of Georgia, brings to light an heretofore underappreciated aspect of the Wal-Mart story with professional, scholarly precision. Ms. Moreton's narrative about how the world's largest corporation emerged from the relative economic backwoods of the Ozarks is an uniquely fascinating American story that should appeal to an educated audience.Ms. Moreton's astute ethnography and history explains how the Ozarks were ripe for the kind of homegrown corporate success that Sam Walton was uniquely capable of delivering. For decades, the region had resisted encroachment by eastern chain stores and was ideologically predisposed to using state assistance to advantage locally-owned enterprises in the name of independence and populism. Ms. Moreton explains that the flood of federal dollars unleashed in the postwar period for military bases and other projects in the sunbelt provided unprecedented opportunities for Ozarks entrepreneurs, including the mercurial Sam Walton. After gaining control of this relatively insular market, Wal-Mart could and did expand nationwide, and then beyond.All of this would not have been possible, Ms. Moreton asserts, without an accompanying ideology of work that was specifically suited to Ozarks culture. Wal-Mart's gendered division of labor, where men were elevated to management and women served as clerks, placated a rural workforce steeped in the patriarchal traditions of the small family farm; while the ethic of customer service played on Christian values of cooperation and sacrifice. Importantly, Ms. Moreton brilliantly shows us how Wal-Mart's celebration of the family as economic unit has become central to our collective understanding of how capitalism has adopted itself to a postindustrial world.Ms. Moreton also discusses how Wal-Mart endowed Christian colleges and universities to promote entrepreneurialism as a peculiar kind of messianic calling to students interested in spreading the gospel of free enterprise to a non-believing, post-communist world. Wal-Mart progressively became ever more influential in government and business circles where its growing success seemed to validate the Washington Consensus policies of deregulation and tax cutting. Indeed, Wal-Mart's iconic status in American society was confirmed when its success in Mexico served as a propaganda tool that the Clinton administration used to turn public opinion decisively in favor of NAFTA.Ms. Moreton seeks neither to praise or vilify Wal-Mart but to explain; in her account, Sam Walton does what any good capitalist would do. Wal-Mart ruthlessly squeezed American suppliers while importing more and more goods from China to decrease its costs; its 'Buy American' marketing campaign was effective brand-building; its hostility to organized labor ensures a reliable labor force to fuel expansion; and so on. Therefore, to the extent that many Wal-Mart workers today feel the company is no longer like the 'family' Sam Walton championed, Ms. Moreton suggests the current economic crisis represents the greatest challenge yet to Wal-Mart's unique blend of Christian culture and capitalist free enterprise.I highly recommend this outstanding book to demanding readers who are interested in gaining profound insight into American economics, politics and culture.

Well-written, informative, and extensively documented, this book is a fascinating account. Moreton weaves together a great deal of history, dealing not only with Wal-Mart's development and growth but also the geo-political, religious, cultural, and economic contexts that supported the business enterprise. The author's scholarship is admirable and her writing style captures and holds a reader's attention all the way.

Great book very interesting

This is an exceptionally thought provoking book. Using the growth of Wal-Mart as a frame of reference, the author explores a wide variety of cultural changes that influence the way we see the world.One cultural change is the so called "feminization of men". Instead of being authoritarian family leaders, many husbands have learned how to joyfully participate in "feminine" activities such as cleaning house, cooking, shopping, and rearing children. The author accurately describes the role of the Promise Keepers organization in redefining the relationship between husbands and wives.Another cultural change is the globalization of modern society. In the 1930s the Ozark region (northern Arkansas and southern Missouri) was one of the poorest parts of the United States. Wal-Mart, the "biggest company on the planet", has its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. How this area moved directly from being an agrarian society to becoming a major player in globalization (without first becoming "industrialized") is an amazing story. The author describes a number of factors that caused these changes.The author also explores the "missionary" influence of Wal-Mart on Central America and South America. The world's largest Wal-Mart is located near Mexico City. Like all of the other changes, there have been major obstacles and successes.Since the author is a professional historian, she provides extensive references that support her narratives. Since I am an amateur, I like movies that illustrate the cultural changes. The so called "feminization of men" is very well illustrated in the movie "Fireproof". Major obstacles and successes involved in blending cultures are dramatized in the movie "Gran Torino"I applaud the author's achievement in writing this book. I look forward to reading her future books and I believe that her insights will help make the world a better place!