Robert Jackall, professor of sociology at Williams College, chronicles the rise of advertising and p

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Robert Jackall, professor of sociology at Williams College, chronicles the rise of advertising and public relations in his new book "Image Makers: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Ethos of Advocacy." The book was co-written with Janice M. Hirota, an independent anthropologist. In it, the pair trace the trajectory from First World War propaganda to today's more self-aware sloganeering. Jackall and Hirota explore the fashioning of the apparatus of advocacy through the stories of two organizations, the Committee on Public Information, which sold the Great War to the American public and the idea of America to the world, and the Advertising Council, which since the Second World War has been the main coordinator of public service advertising. They then turn to the career of William Bernbach, the adman's adman, who reinvented advertising and grappled creatively with the profound skepticism of a propaganda-weary mid-century public. The authors argue that the tools-in-trade and habits of mind of professional "image makers" have migrated into every corner of modern society. Advocacy is now a vocation for many, and American society abounds as well with "technicians in moral outrage," including street-smart impresarios, secular preachers of every stripe, and bombastic talk-radio hosts. "Image Makers" closes with a discussion of the discernment of representations in a society increasingly characterized by "make-believe worlds" constructed by both professional and vocational advocates. The authors ask: In a world of endlessly shifting patterns of conflicting representations and claims, in what and in whom do people choose to put their trust and why? Jackall is a sociologist of work, occupations, professions, and large organizations. This book is his first full-length foray into advertising and public relations. His earlier works include "Wild Cowboys: Urban Marauders & the Forces of Order" (1997), a first-hand account of the travails of New York City police detectives and prosecutors on the track of a murderous drug gang; and "Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers" (1988), a study of corporate executives' ethical dilemmas. "Moral Mazes" was named the 1999 Book of the Year by the Social Issues in Management division of the Academy of Management, an annual award given to books judged to have significantly influenced other works in the field over a period of years. Jackall, Class of 1956 Professor of Sociology and Social Thought, has taught at Williams since 1976. After receiving a B.A. in sociology in 1963 from Fordham University, Jackall earned a Ph.L. in philosophy from Fordham the following year. In 1976, he received his Ph.D. in sociology from the Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science at the New School for Social Research.
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North Adams Clothing Store Moving to Larger Space

Staff Reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Label Shopper is moving across the parking lot to the former Peebles location in April.
 
The discount clothing store has been located in the downtown's L-shaped mall downtown since 2009. It replaced Fashion Bug, which had been in that spot for 24 years before closing in 2007; the company liquidated in 2013. 
 
Label Shopper is part of Peter Harris Clothes, established in 1970 by Peter Elitzer. Starting as a single store in Latham, N.Y., offering brand-name apparel at discount prices, the company operates more than 70 stores throughout the Northeast and Midwest.
 
The store is set to close on April 6 for the move and reopen on April 9 in the former Gordmans, according to signage. 
 
Gordmans briefly replaced Peebles in the former Kmart until the parent company of the two brands declared bankruptcy and closed its stores in 2020. 
 
At 17,250 square feet, the Gordman's space is at least double the size of Label Shopper's current location.
 
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