The Sociology of Work; Continuity and Change in Paid and Unpaid Work

by Stephen Edgell

• ISBN13: 9781849204132
• ISBN10: 1849204136
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-22
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

Fully updated and restructured, the Second Edition of Stephen Edgell's comprehensive guide charts the rise of 'work' from the first human societies. The book explores all aspects of work including paid and unpaid, standard and non-standard and unemployment. New material has been incorporated covering globalization, neo-liberalism, economic crisis, technological and organizational change, and trade unions. Drawing on classic and contemporary theorists, the author: covers key issues regarding paid industrial and service sector work: alienation, skill, post-industrial society, network enterprises in the informational society, flexibility, Fordism, neo-Fordism, post-Fordism McDonaldization, emotional labour, the destandardization of work and the social impact of unemployment discusses key issues regarding non-paid work: domestic work as 'work', the impact of technology, the impact of feminism, feminization and globalization provides students with global case-studies, practical student exercises, an extensive glossary and links to key websites and downloadable articles. A superb teaching text, this new edition will be welcomed by lecturers and students wanting an authoritative introduction to the sociology of work.

Table of Contents

The Historical Transformation of Work

Work in pre-industrial societies

Work in industrial capitalist societies

Main features of work in industrial capitalist societies

Capitalist industrialization and the primacy of work

Crises and industrial capitalism

Technological and organizational change

The rise of trade unions

Women and work in the development of industrial capitalism

The dominant conception of work in industrial capitalism

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Work and Alienation

Marx's theory of alienation

Blauner's technology and alienation thesis

Critique of Blauner's technology and alienation thesis

Empirical research on the Blauner thesis

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Work and Deskilling

Braverman's deskilling thesis

Critique of Braverman's deskilling thesis

Braverman's supporters

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Work, Upskilling and Polarization

Bell's upskilling thesis

Critique of Bell's upskilling thesis

Bell`s supporters

The polarization of skill?

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Industrial Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism

The rise of Fordism

The development of Fordism beyond the workplace

The decline of Fordism

Solutions to the crisis of Fordism: neo-Fordism and post-Fordism

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Service Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism

Interactive service work

The rise of Fordism and interactive service work

Interactive service work: neo-Fordism and post-Fordism

Knowledge work and the Fordist model of change

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Non-Standard Work

The destandardization of work thesis

Contractural destandardization: self-employment

Spatial destandardization: homeworking

Temporal destandardization: temporary

Time work

Critical evaluation of the destandardization thesis

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Out of Work: Unemployment

Unemployment: meaning and measurement

Jahoda`s deprivation theory of unemployment

Class, age and gender, and the social consequences of unemployment

Critical evaluation of Jahoda`s deprivation theory of unemployment

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Domestic Work

The sociology of domestic work

Domestic work: conditions and technology

The symmetrical family thesis

Critical evaluation of the symmetrical family thesis

Explanations of the unequal division of domestic labour

Outsourcing domestic work

Summary and conclusions

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

Globalization: Paid and Unpaid Work

Globalization

Causes of globalization

Globalization in action: call centres

The transformation of paid work?

The transformation of unpaid work?

Summary and conclusions

Concluding remarks: continuity and change and `work`

Further reading

Questions for discussion and assessment

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