Work

Steven Peter Vallas is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University.

"I highly recommend this book. It addresses all the important issues of work in our time."—International Sociology"An exhaustive study of a concept that has, over the past half-decade or so, been brought under the lenses of scholars in a variety of different fields of research, from sociology to economics, politics to philosophy ... Work fosters a dialogue that cuts across [these] disciplines."—Marx & Philosophy"A leading sociologist in the fields of work, organizations, economy, and social theory, Vallas provides an innovative, erudite, exhaustive, and lucidly written synthesis and depiction of the evolution of research in the sociology of work. Linking the discipline to important economic and political developments of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the book illumines pathways in this dynamic and central field of sociology for students, scholars and practitioners who are researching, teaching, and humanizing the world of work."—Daniel B. Cornfield, Vanderbilt University"Steven Vallas's Work has the great virtue of providing a strong theoretical overview of the sociology of work, at the same time as it discusses work's historical emergence and ongoing development under capitalism. The combination will make the text an invaluable resource for students at all levels."—Leslie Salzinger, University of California, Berkeley"Steven Vallas's Work is an important piece of scholarship and easily the best book on what is happening to work, workers and the workplace to be published in the last decade. Vallas synthesizes multiple strands of research into an integrated whole. The volume is a must read for anyone interested in from where we've come and to where we're headed."—Stephen R. Barley, Stanford University

• List of Figures and Tables vii1 Introduction 1Approaching Work 3Three Rules of Thumb 6Schools of Thought in the Sociology of Work 19Conclusion 342 Capitalism, Taylorism, and the Problem of Labor Control 37Taylorism and the De-skilling Debate 38Workplace Culture and Managerial Control 43Workers as Subjects: Governing the Worker’s Soul 47Conclusion 543 From Fordism to Flexibility? 60The End of Fordism 62Flexible Specialization 67Scrutinizing Workplace Flexibility 724 Ascriptive Inequalities at Work, I: Gender 86Studying Gender Inequality at Work 87The Gendering of Work in the United States 89Human Capitol Theory and Supply Side Approaches 96Structural Approaches: The Demand side of the Equations 99Social Networks: The Web of Affiliations 104The Devaluation of Women’s Work 106Conclusion 1105 Ascriptive Inequalities, II: Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity at Work 113The Continuing Significance of Race at Work 115Social Closure Processes 119Social Networks and Hiring Practices 121Race-Typing and the Devaluation pf Black Labor 124The Concept of Diversity: Reinforcing Inequality? 126Conclusion 1316 The Globalization of Work 133Neo-liberalism: The Cult of the Marketplace 136Globalization: The Debate 144Regulating Global Capitalism: Solidarity Movements and Codes of Contact 156Conclusion 1617 Conclusion 163Notes 170References 173Index 195