Block 4
Sociology of work
This summary is meant as a guide to the reading materials.
In here are overviews of the mandatory literature and movies
of the course Sociology of Work – Premaster Sociology:
Tilburg University
Premaster Sociology
Sociology of work
Block 4
,Index
Week 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Edgell chapter 1 (The historical transformation of work) .............................................................. 3
Grint chapter 3 ................................................................................................................................. 4
Thompson – Time, Work-discipline and industrial capitalism ........................................................ 5
Week 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Edgell chapter 8 (out of work: unemployment) ............................................................................... 6
Marx: Estranged labour ................................................................................................................... 7
Weber: The characteristics of bureaucracy ...................................................................................... 7
Watson chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................. 7
Week 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Edgell Chapter 2 (Work and Alienation) ........................................................................................ 9
Edgell Chapter 3 (Work, Skill and the Labour Process) ............................................................... 10
Edgell chapter 5 (Industrial Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism) ........................... 12
Bregman chapter 1 (The Return of Utopia) .................................................................................. 13
Bregman chapter 2 (A 15-Hour Workweek) ................................................................................ 13
Braverman: labour and monopoly capitalism (chapter 4 – 8)........................................................ 14
Berggren: Lean production ............................................................................................................ 14
Movie ................................................................................................................................................ 15
Made in Dagenham ........................................................................................................................ 15
Week 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Edgell chapter 6 (Service Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism) .............................. 16
Bregman chapter 3 (Why We Should Give Free Money to Everyone) ........................................ 18
Bregman chapter 4 (Race against the machine ............................................................................. 19
Leidner: Emotional labour in service work ................................................................................... 20
Zarembka: America’s dirty work................................................................................................... 21
Movie ................................................................................................................................................ 21
1
, Sorry we missed you...................................................................................................................... 21
Week 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 22
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 22
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 23
Edgell chapter 4 (Managing culture at work) ............................................................................... 23
Edgell chapter 7 (Non-standard work).......................................................................................... 23
Bregman chapter 5 (The end of poverty) ...................................................................................... 24
Bregman chapter 6 (The Bizarre tale of President Nixon and his basic income bill) ................... 24
Bregman chapter 7 (Why it doesn’t pay to be a banker) .............................................................. 25
Green: Work intensification .......................................................................................................... 26
Week 6 .................................................................................................................................................. 26
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Edgell chapter 9 (Unpaid domestic work) .................................................................................... 27
Den Dulk & Peper: The impact of national policies on work-life experiences ............................. 27
Bartram, Burchielli & Thanacoody: Work family balance or greedy organizations ..................... 28
Week 7 .................................................................................................................................................. 28
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 28
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Edgell chapter 10 (Globalization: Paid and Unpaid Work) .......................................................... 29
Movies ............................................................................................................................................... 29
It’s a free world.............................................................................................................................. 29
Week 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 30
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 30
Bregman chapter 8 (New figures for a new era) ........................................................................... 30
Bregman chapter 9 (Beyond the gates of the Land of Plenty) ...................................................... 31
Bregman chapter 10 (How ideas change the world) ..................................................................... 31
2
, Week 1
Lectures
Lecture 1
Work is a central element of society, and work is central to someone’s identity:
• When we meet someone we will usually ask them what type of work they do.
• Colleagues can turn into friends.
Work = interaction with people (sociology)
Lecture 2
The historical transformation of work;
The contemporary idea of work in relation to historical ideas;
The ideas on work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber.
There is a constant interaction between types of labour and society; What kind of work is necessary
for society.
4 Historical periods:
• Primitive world
• Classical world
• Middle ages
• Industrial world
Literature
Edgell chapter 1 (The historical transformation of work)
Before capitalism work referred in a generalized way to activities directed at satisfying the human
need for survival. In the recent past work has become synonymous with regular paid employment, a
separate sphere of specialized economic activity for which one receives payment.
The current conception of work is a modern social construction, the product of specific historical
conditions that are denoted by the term ‘industrial capitalism’.
• Work is a productive activity involving machines powered by inanimate energy sources that
is undertaken outside the home in a dedicated building that one has to travel to work each
day.
• Work involves monetary payment.
• Everything has a price, including labour.
Hunting and gathering societies
Everyone in such societies participated in productive work; the young and old, men and women, even
political and religious leaders undertook their roles on a part-time basis.
Sharing work and the products of work typified this era, since the survival of the group put a premium
on co-operative rather than competitive behaviour.
Horticultural
The emergence of semi-nomadic and later settled horticultural societies based on the cultivation of
plants and the domestication of animals, led to the creation of a more reliable economic surplus, an
increase in the size of the population, and the differentiation of economic activities.
Agrarian societies
The predominant method of cultivation became through the use of the plough and harnessing of
3
Sociology of work
This summary is meant as a guide to the reading materials.
In here are overviews of the mandatory literature and movies
of the course Sociology of Work – Premaster Sociology:
Tilburg University
Premaster Sociology
Sociology of work
Block 4
,Index
Week 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Lecture 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Edgell chapter 1 (The historical transformation of work) .............................................................. 3
Grint chapter 3 ................................................................................................................................. 4
Thompson – Time, Work-discipline and industrial capitalism ........................................................ 5
Week 2 .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 6
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 6
Edgell chapter 8 (out of work: unemployment) ............................................................................... 6
Marx: Estranged labour ................................................................................................................... 7
Weber: The characteristics of bureaucracy ...................................................................................... 7
Watson chapter 2 ............................................................................................................................. 7
Week 3 .................................................................................................................................................... 9
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................... 9
Literature ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Edgell Chapter 2 (Work and Alienation) ........................................................................................ 9
Edgell Chapter 3 (Work, Skill and the Labour Process) ............................................................... 10
Edgell chapter 5 (Industrial Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism) ........................... 12
Bregman chapter 1 (The Return of Utopia) .................................................................................. 13
Bregman chapter 2 (A 15-Hour Workweek) ................................................................................ 13
Braverman: labour and monopoly capitalism (chapter 4 – 8)........................................................ 14
Berggren: Lean production ............................................................................................................ 14
Movie ................................................................................................................................................ 15
Made in Dagenham ........................................................................................................................ 15
Week 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 16
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 16
Edgell chapter 6 (Service Work: Fordism, Neo-Fordism and Post-Fordism) .............................. 16
Bregman chapter 3 (Why We Should Give Free Money to Everyone) ........................................ 18
Bregman chapter 4 (Race against the machine ............................................................................. 19
Leidner: Emotional labour in service work ................................................................................... 20
Zarembka: America’s dirty work................................................................................................... 21
Movie ................................................................................................................................................ 21
1
, Sorry we missed you...................................................................................................................... 21
Week 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 22
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 22
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 23
Edgell chapter 4 (Managing culture at work) ............................................................................... 23
Edgell chapter 7 (Non-standard work).......................................................................................... 23
Bregman chapter 5 (The end of poverty) ...................................................................................... 24
Bregman chapter 6 (The Bizarre tale of President Nixon and his basic income bill) ................... 24
Bregman chapter 7 (Why it doesn’t pay to be a banker) .............................................................. 25
Green: Work intensification .......................................................................................................... 26
Week 6 .................................................................................................................................................. 26
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 27
Edgell chapter 9 (Unpaid domestic work) .................................................................................... 27
Den Dulk & Peper: The impact of national policies on work-life experiences ............................. 27
Bartram, Burchielli & Thanacoody: Work family balance or greedy organizations ..................... 28
Week 7 .................................................................................................................................................. 28
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 28
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 29
Edgell chapter 10 (Globalization: Paid and Unpaid Work) .......................................................... 29
Movies ............................................................................................................................................... 29
It’s a free world.............................................................................................................................. 29
Week 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 30
Lectures ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Literature ........................................................................................................................................... 30
Bregman chapter 8 (New figures for a new era) ........................................................................... 30
Bregman chapter 9 (Beyond the gates of the Land of Plenty) ...................................................... 31
Bregman chapter 10 (How ideas change the world) ..................................................................... 31
2
, Week 1
Lectures
Lecture 1
Work is a central element of society, and work is central to someone’s identity:
• When we meet someone we will usually ask them what type of work they do.
• Colleagues can turn into friends.
Work = interaction with people (sociology)
Lecture 2
The historical transformation of work;
The contemporary idea of work in relation to historical ideas;
The ideas on work of Marx, Durkheim and Weber.
There is a constant interaction between types of labour and society; What kind of work is necessary
for society.
4 Historical periods:
• Primitive world
• Classical world
• Middle ages
• Industrial world
Literature
Edgell chapter 1 (The historical transformation of work)
Before capitalism work referred in a generalized way to activities directed at satisfying the human
need for survival. In the recent past work has become synonymous with regular paid employment, a
separate sphere of specialized economic activity for which one receives payment.
The current conception of work is a modern social construction, the product of specific historical
conditions that are denoted by the term ‘industrial capitalism’.
• Work is a productive activity involving machines powered by inanimate energy sources that
is undertaken outside the home in a dedicated building that one has to travel to work each
day.
• Work involves monetary payment.
• Everything has a price, including labour.
Hunting and gathering societies
Everyone in such societies participated in productive work; the young and old, men and women, even
political and religious leaders undertook their roles on a part-time basis.
Sharing work and the products of work typified this era, since the survival of the group put a premium
on co-operative rather than competitive behaviour.
Horticultural
The emergence of semi-nomadic and later settled horticultural societies based on the cultivation of
plants and the domestication of animals, led to the creation of a more reliable economic surplus, an
increase in the size of the population, and the differentiation of economic activities.
Agrarian societies
The predominant method of cultivation became through the use of the plough and harnessing of
3
