The Sociology of Work

This book provides a concise, accessible and innovative introduction to the Sociology of Work. Drawing on a wide range of contemporary and historical material, it examines the nature of work in its more traditional guises as ‘industrial sociology’ and ‘the labour process debate’ and in the wider context of work as unpaid labour. The emphasis is upon the links between the social processes and institutions of employment and their domestic and social contexts. Thus rather than focusing wholly on male factory workers, the author also considers the significance of gender and race as well as sectional divisions within the working class. Chapters include coverage of: What is Work? Work is History? Classical Perspectives on Work; Theories of Work Organization; Class Conflict and the Labour Process; Work, Gender and Patriarchy; Work, Race and Ethnicity, and Working Technology. The book will be of interest to student and teachers of the Sociology Work, Industrial Sociology, Organizational Behaviour and Industrial Relations.