The Nature of Work: An Introduction to Debates on the Labour Process

Paul Thompson provides a concise and comprehensive introduction to the debates on the labour process. He sets out and compares the established traditions in industrial sociology and the analyses of Marx and Braverman. He goes on to explore contemporary debates on deskilling and degradation, and Taylorism and structures of control. He also covers two crucial areas neglected in early debates: legitimation and consent at work, and the effects of the sexual division of labour.