adv soc of work course outline2011

7/27/2019 Adv Soc of Work Course Outline2011

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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

Industrial & Economic Sociology

Advanced Sociology of Work

LecturerAntonio Famiglietti

July 2011


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1. DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE: STRUCTURE, OBJECTIVES ANDOUTCOMES

This course is designed to equip you with a comprehensive, in-depth and

critical understanding of the sociology of work. While it is designed todevelop your conceptual understanding of work, relevant contextual andempirical issues will be brought to bear where necessary. It will enrich yourknowledge of contemporary debates on the sociology of work structuredaround six themes: the meaning of work; work in an industrial context andthe labour process debate; the changing nature of work; work in a non-industrial context; emotional labour; and beyond employment: work andsocial reproduction. Attention will be paid to the development of analyticaland conceptual skills imperative for graduate work.

This course will be covered in 10 consecutive weeks starting from thebeginning of the 3rd term of 2011. It will be delivered through 1 introductory

teaching session, 1 review session and 8 seminars. The introductory sessionwill set the scene for the course. It will introduce you to the sociologicalunderstanding of work, and the changes and continuities in the meaning ofwork. The session will also be used to allocate seminar topics to students.Seminar topics/questions will be structured around each theme of thiscourse. Seminars will be delivered on the topics/questions corresponding toeach theme in the same week(s) in which the themes will be covered. Eachtheme is briefly introduced, followed by seminar questions and references.References should not be treated as exclusive to a particular theme as someof the materials may be useful for more than one theme. SeminarPresentation will be organised thus: Each student will be required to

prepare two seminar essays on one of the questions for two different weeksthemes. The rest of the class will be required to submit Hand-inAssignments. Failure to submit hand-in assignments may lead to a lossof a students DP certificate. The review session will be the last meetingto give an overview of the course. It will be an interactive discussion sessionabout the course.

Each student is required to submit one essay (Term Paper) for this course.The due date for the submission of the term paper is September 28, 2011.See Assignment Instructions section below for further details. The paperwill be written off in November.

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

The requirements for this course are as follow:1. Two Seminar presentations,2. Weekly Hand-in Assignments3. One Essay or Term Paper,4. One 3 hour examination.

This course is structured in a seminar format of two hours duration, once aweek. The day and times of the week will be communicated. Attendance ofthese seminars is compulsory. A completion of a leave of absence form,prior to the class, is required from students who are compelled to miss a

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seminar session. They must also submit their hand-in assignment for thesession. They risk the loss of their DP certificate if they fail to comply withthese conditions.

3. ASSESSMENT

2 Seminar Presentations (30% of Class mark)1 Essay (70% of Class mark)1 Final Examination (3 hour duration)

4. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS1. Hand-in Assignment Should be handed in weekly on one of the

questions of the corresponding theme. It should not be more than 1000words or 3 typewritten pages of 1.5 line spacing. It must be typed andreferenced.

2. The class seminar will be graded on the quality of the content and

verbal presentation. Electronic copy (Microsoft Word) of yourseminar must be submitted to me before the class. My emailaddress is: [email protected]. The onus lies on you toprovide enough copies for your class presentation.

3. Essay (Term paper) Not more than 3000 words, typed and exclusive ofthe references. It must be referenced in accordance with thedepartmental guidelines (Harvard referencing). See the Department ofSociologys Handout Number 1 for guidance. Note that logical andcritical argument is expected for graduate work. You may write youressay on any of the questions from themes 1 6. However, you cannotrepeat the same questions in your seminar presentations.

Please do not exceed the word limit set out above for the essays and assignments; doing so

will attract a penalty in the form of deduction of marks.

Due Date for Essays: 28 September 2011

ExaminationThe examination comprises a three-hour paper to be written off in November2011.

DP CRITERIA:

The award of your Duly Performed (DP) certificatea condition forwriting the November examinationwill depend on (a) regular

attendance in class, (b) submission of the weekly Hand-in

Assignments, AND, preparation for the class, (c) presentation of

your seminars when due, and (d) submission of the Essays.

PLAGIARISM:

Plagiarism is viewed seriously by the university. Any guilty student

(intentional or unintentional) will be appropriately sanctioned by

the university. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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the university policy on plagiarism. See the University Plagiarism Policy

on http://www.scifac.ru.ac.za/plag.htm. You may subscribe to available

software in the university to be sure. Contact the Centre for Higher

Education Teaching and Research (CHETR) for details.

IntroductionThere are important distinctions between what is work and what is thesociology of work. We may be tempted to have a simplistic view of work,however, when an attempt is made to define it, we are suddenly confrontedwith the complexities inherent in the notion of work. The historical,contextual and the changing meanings of work are important considerationsfor any rigorous attempt to understand the world of work. Work has beenlinked to human survival and the exploitation of natural resource for thispurpose, which has been referred to as use value. The contemporaryunderstanding of work transcends this conception to see work as serving anexchange function. The comparison of the nature of work in pre-industrialand industrial societies reveals changes and continuities in the way work isorganized and the form of social relations that is contingent on the

organisation of work. Work therefore shapes and it is shaped by emergingforms of human society. The organisation of work and the experiences of theworking people are central to the sociology of work. The understanding ofwork has been approached from different perspectives by sociologists ofdifferent theoretical and methodological orientations. These diverseperspectives range from the focus on broader socio-structural issues to workbehaviour and agency (Watson, 2003).

The emerging nature of work can be understood if it is located within thelabour process debate in a capitalist society. The nature of work has beenknown to change with the historical development of human societies. Thisindicates that work has taken various forms in pre-capitalist societies where

work is essentially focused to meet human survival. Unique to a capitalistsociety, however, is the refocusing of work beyond meeting human survival,to include an exchange function. In a capitalist society, work is bestdescribed as a paid employment (Edgell, 2006). The notion of paidemployment is limiting if we consider the different dynamics and thechanging nature of work in a contemporary society. For example, how do weaccount for informal work, unpaid domestic work and peasant work? In fact,the relevance of labour process theory needs to be subjected to a criticalreview to determine its usefulness for the analysis of the emerging nature ofwork. This is particularly important for a context such as South Africa, wherean increasing number of people is making a living rather than earning a

living and where almost half of the working population is unemployed.

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Perhaps, we may have to turn to the analysis of the system of socialreproduction to foster the understanding of the enigma, work. For example,how do we account for poverty, starvation, unemployment and collectiveconsumption in the form of state and other forms of social transfers? Thesociological analysis of the social relations of production and reproductiontherefore, may provide us with a comprehensive view of work.

Important Reading Texts:

1. Braverman, H. 1974/1998. Labor and Monopoly Capital: TheDegradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: MonthlyReview Press.

2. Cock, J. 1980. Maids & Madams: A Study in the Politics of

Exploitation.Johannesburg: Ravan Press.3. Edgell, S. 2006. The Sociology of Work: Continuity and

Change in Paid and Unpaid Work. Los Ageles: SAGE Publications.

4. Grint, K. 1998. The Sociology of Work: An Introduction, 2ndedition. Cambridge: Polity Press.

5. Hochschild, A.R. 1983. The Managed Heart: TheCommercialization of Human Feeling. Bekerley: University ofCalifornia Press.

6. Mafeje, A. (1967). "The Role of the Bard in a Contemporary AfricanCommunity." Journal of African Languages, 6(3): 193-223.

7. Oakley, A. 1974. The Sociology of Housework. London: MartinRobertson.

8. Strangleman, T & Warren, T. 2008. Work and Society:Sociological Approaches, Themes and Methods. New York:Routledge.

9. Tonkiss, F. 2006. Contemporary Economic Sociology:Globalisation, Production, Inequality. London: Routledge.

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Theme 1 (Week 1 2)

Introduction Sociology and the meanings of work

This section introduces the meanings of work and the sociologicalunderstanding of work from different theoretical perspectives. What is work,why do people work, and what are its implications for human society aresome of the questions that come to the fore when an attempt is being madeto understand work. Much more crucial to the sociology of work are thesocial relations that are associated with or created by work and how socialorder is maintained. The nature of work relations has characterised differentphases of the development of human society. For example the socialrelations of production form the core of Marxs conception of society.

Broadly speaking therefore, the social relations of work and order (anddisorder) are fundamental to the sociological understanding of work. Wemust take note of the changing meaning of work. For example, can we drawa boundary between work and other human activities within the society?

Questions:

1. Critically review the various theoretical conceptions of work. What aretheir implications for the study of work in the South African context?

2. Historical analysis is fundamental to the sociological understanding of

work. How has history shaped the meaning and conception of work overtime? Is South African history relevant to the meaning of work in SouthAfrica?

References:

1. Braverman, H. 1974/1998. Labor and Monopoly Capital: TheDegradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: MonthlyReview Press.

Chapter 1: Labor and Labor Power.2. Crow, B & Thorpe, M. et al. 1988. Survival and Change in the

Third World. Cambridge: Polity Press. (Chapter 1 & 2) Chapter 1: The expansion of Europe. Chapter 2: Labour regimes and social change under colonialism.

3. Edgell, S. 2006. The Sociology of Work: Continuity and Change inPaid and Unpaid Work. London: SAGE Publications.

Chapter 1: The transformation of work.4. Glucksmann, M. 2005. Shifting Boundaries and Interconnections:

Extending the Total Social Organisation of Labour. In Pettinger, L,Parry, J, Taylor, R & Glucksmann, M. 2005. A New Sociology of Work?Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

5. Grint, K. 1998. The Sociology of Work: An Introduction, 2nd edition.Cambridge: Polity Press.

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Chapter 1: What is Work? Chapter 2: Work in Historical Perspective.

6. Hodson, R & Sullivan, T.A. 1990. The Social Organization of Work.Belmont, Cal: Wadsworth.

Chapter 1: The evolution of work

7. Joyce, P (ed). 1987. The Historical Meanings of Work. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press. Chapter 1: The historical meanings of work: an

introduction.8. Parry, J, Taylor, R, Pettinger, L & Glucksmann, M. 2005. Confronting

the Challenge of Work Today: New Horizon and Perspectives. InPettinger, L, Parry, J, Taylor, R & Glucksmann, M. 2005. A NewSociology of Work? Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

9. Strangleman, T & Warren, T. 2008. Work and Society: SociologicalApproaches, Themes and Methods. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 2: Theory and work.

10. Watson, T.J. 1995. Sociology, Work and Industry (3rd edition).London: Routledge

Chapter 2: The sociological analysis of work Chapter 4: Work, meaning, opportunity and experience.

11. Webster, E. et al. 2003. Work and Organizations. Cape Town:Oxford University Press

Work (pp. 5-20).

Theme 2 (Week 3-4)

Work in Industrial Context and the Labour ProcessDebate

The organisation of work and workers under industrial capitalism is pivotal tothe labour process debate. The nature of the relationship between capitaland labour in the workplace as a result of the way work is organizedbecomes the paramount focus of the debate. Emanating from these socialrelations at work are issues such as hierarchy, alienation, exploitation,rationalization, deskilling, technology and the introduction of machinery etc.

The understanding of the labour process debate becomes imperative to thesociology of work because it sets the platform for the understanding of workas we know it today. However, of more importance is the consideration ofthe question whether the labour process theory is still relevant to thecontemporary study of work taking into consideration contextualdifferences.

Questions:

1. Critically review the key propositions of labour process theory, is it usefulfor the contemporary analysis of work with the emerging discourse ofpost-industrial society? Use a case study (local or international) tosubstantiate your argument.

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2. The notions of deskilling and upskilling in the organisation of work arecontested. Critically assess the main arguments in the deskilling andupskilling debate. How can we relate this to the skills debate in SouthAfrica?

References:

1. Adesina, J.O. 1992, Labour Process and Labour Relations. In Otobo, D(ed). 1992. Labour

Relations in Nigeria Vol. I. Lagos: Malthouse Press.2. Adesina, J.O. 1991, Oil, Labour Process and Power: Experience of Work in

a Nigerian Refinery, OPEC Review, Vol. XV, No. 4, Winter.

3. Adesina, J.O. 1994, Rethinking Worker Consciousness: Work, Class andCulture. Annals of the Social Science Council of Nigeria, No. 5. (Jan-Dec).(Nigeria)

4. Belussi, F & Garibaldo, F. 2000. Variety of Pattern of the Post-Fordist

Economy: Why are the Old Times Still with Us and the New Times Yetto Come. In Grint, K (ed). 2000. Work and Society: A Reader.Cambridge: Polity. (Chapter 11)

5. Braverman, H. 1974/1998. Labor and Monopoly Capital. New York:Monthly Review Press.

Chapter 4-6 Chapter 20: A Final Note on Skill

6. Crow, B & Thorpe, M. et al. 1988. Survival and Change in the ThirdWorld. Cambridge: PolityPress. (Chapter 3 & 4).

Chapter 3: Production and producers.

Chapter 4: Development I Variations on capitalism.7. Edgell, S. 2006. The Sociology of Work: Continuity and Change in

Paid and UnpaidWork. London: SAGE Publications.

Chapter 3: Paid work in industrial society and deskilling. Chapter 4: Paid work in post-industrial society and upskilling.

8. Elger, T. 1982. Braverman, Capital Accumulation and Deskilling. InWood, S (ed). 1982 The Degradation of Work: Skill, Deskilling andthe Labour Process. London: Hutchinson.

9. Grieco, M & Whipp, R. 1986. Women and the Workplace: Gender andControl in the Labour Process. In Knights, D & Willmott, H (eds). 1986.

Gender and the Labour Process. Aldershot: Gower.10.Grint, K. 1998. The Sociology of Work: An Introduction, 2nd edition.Cambridge: Polity Press.

Chapter 4: Contemporary Theories of Work Organisation Chapter 8: Working Technology.

11.Martin, R. 1995. Labour Process Debate: An Introduction to the DebateAbout the LabourProcess. In Van der Merwe, A (ed). 1995. Industrial Sociology: ASouth African Perspective. Johannesburg: Lexicon.

12.Marx, K. 1997 (Reprinted). Capital: Volume 1. Harmondsworth: PengineBooks.

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Part 5, Chapter 16: The production of absolute and relativesurplus-value.

13.Ransome, P. 1999. Sociology and the Future of Work:Contemporary Discourses and Debates. Aldershot: Ashgate.

Chapter 2: The Narrative of Post-Industrialism. Post-

Fordism and Flexibility Chapter 7: Work Futures

14.Smith, C & Thompson, P. 1998. Re-evaluating the labour processdebate. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 19 (4): 551 577.

15.Strangleman, T & Warren, T. 2008. Work and Society: SociologicalApproaches, Themes and Methods. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 5: Work and industrial society Chapter 6: Work and post-industrial society. Chapter 7: Divisions and work.

16.Thompson, P. 2010. The Capitalist Labour Process: Concepts andConnections.Capital & Class, 34(1): 7-4.

17.Wardell, M. 1999. Labour Process: Moving Beyond Braverman and theDeskillingDebate. In Wardell, M, Steiger, T.L & Meiksins, P. 1999 (eds).Rethinking the Labour Process. New York: State University of New

York.

Theme 3 (Week 5-6)

The changing nature of work and employment

It can be argued that the changing nature of work to a large extent reflectsthe changing nature of the capitalist mode of production in an industrialsociety. Central to the debate of the changing nature of work are theorganization of work and the form taken by the relationship between capitaland labour in the workplace. The relationship between capital and labour inthe workplace is characterized by the struggle for dominance and control ofthe work process, which informs the reorganization of work at differentperiods of the development of capitalism.

Scientific management or Taylorism, Fordism and post-Fordism have beenused to describe the way work is organized at different periods in thedevelopment of capitalism. Also imperative to the changing nature or work

are the changes in the expenditure of labour. The world of work is presentlyexperiencing a declining Standard Employment Relationship (SER), whileatypical employment such as outsourcing/subcontracting of work,externalization of work, casualisation, part-time and temporary employmentare on the increase. These developments are captured in local literature asindustrial restructuring.

Questions:1. The notion of the changing nature of work can be described as before,

during and after Fordism. Give a detailed account of the changing

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nature of work and identifying the major conceptual shifts with particularemphasis on the post-Fordist debate.

2. The restructuring of work in South Africa has been captured with thenotions of technological flexibility and labour market flexibility. Criticallyreview labour market flexibility in South Africa with reference to thesubcontracting of work. What implications does this have for workersprotection?

References:

1. Adler, G. 1993. Skills, Control, and Careers at Work: Possibility forWorkers Control in the South African Motor Industry. South AfricanSociological Review, 5(2): 35-64.

2. Amin, A. 1994. Post-Fordism: Models, Fantasies and Phantoms ofTransition. In Amin, A (ed). Post-Fordism: A Reader. Oxford: BlackwellPublishers.

3. Appiah-Mfodwa, A, Hortwitz, F, Kieswetter, G, King, D & Solia, L. 2000.Flexible Work Practices, Productivity Improvement and Employment.Society in Transition, 31(1): 95-109.

4. Burrows, R, Gilbert, R & Pollert, A. 1992. Introduction: Fordism, Post-Fordism and Economic Flexibility. In Gilbert, N, Burrows, R & Pollert, A.(eds). Fordism and Flexibility: Division and Change. London:Macmillan Press Ltd.


Chapter 8: Non-Standard paid work.6. Ewert, J. 1992. Restructuring Industry on the Factory Floor: Neo-Fordist

Tendencies at Western Cape Firms. South Africa Sociological Review,5(1): 1-22.

7. Hall, D.T. 1996. Protean careers of the 21st century. Academy ofManagement Executives, 10 (4): 8-16.

8. Handy, C. 1995. Beyond Certainty: The Changing Worlds ofOrganisations. London: Arrow Business.

9. Harvey, D. 1989. The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry intothe Origins of Cultural Change. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. (Part II,Chapters 7 11)

Part II: The political-economic transformation of late twentieth-century capitalism

10.Harvey, D. 2003. The New Imperialism. New York: Oxford University

Press. (Chapter 4) Chapter 4: Accumulation by dispossession.

11.Hirst, P and Zeitlin, J. 1991. Flexible specialization Versus Post-Fordism:Theory, Evidence and Policy Implications. Economy and Society, 20 (1)1-56.

12.Horwitz, F.M, & Franklin, E. 1996. Labour Market Flexibility in SouthAfrica: Researching Recent Developments. South African Journal ofLabour Relations, 20 (1): 3-39.

13.Howard, A (ed). 1995. The Changing Nature of Work. Sanfrancisco:Jossey-Bass.

Chapter 1: Ann Howard (1995). A framework for work change.

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14.Omomowo. K.E. 2010. Subcontracting of Work and WorkersProtection in South Africa. Saarbrcken: VDM Verlag Dr. Muller.(Chapters 1, 2, & 3).

15.Theron, J. 2005. Employment is not what it used to be. Industrial LawJournal, 24 (July): 1247 1282

16.Tonkiss, F. 2006. Contemporary Economic Sociology: Globalisation,Production, Inequality. London: Routledge. (Chapter 4 & 5).

17.Von Holdt, K & Webster, E. 2005. Work restructuring and the crisis of

social reproduction: a South African perspective. In Webster, E & Von

Holdt, K. (eds) 2005. Beyond the Apartheid Workplace: Studies in

Transition. Scottsville: University of Kwazulu-Natal Press.

18.Webster, E & Omar, R. 2003. Work Restructuring in Post-ApartheidSouth Africa. Work and Occupations, 30 (2): 194-213.

Theme 4 (Week 7-8)

Emotional labour

The analysis of work has tended to emphasise the physical and the mentalto the neglect of the emotional aspect of labour. Taking Marxs analysis ofthe cost of physical and mental labour further, Hochschild (1983) posits thatemotional labour has an equally harmful human cost. Using Marxsalienation concept as a point of departure she defines emotional labour asthe management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodilydisplay; emotional labour is sold for a wage and therefore has "exchangevalue". She used "emotion work" or "emotion management" to indicate theuse value of similar acts in the private domain such as the family (cited in

Brook, 2009:11). Therefore, we can talk of real emotion and actedemotion, emotional dissonance, surface acting and deep acting withinthe service work context. The commodification of human emotion, especiallywithin the service work context, is fundamental to the notion of emotionallabour. The expansion of the service industry and the contraction of themanufacturing sector, much more, necessitate the need to take the study ofemotional labour seriously. Call centres, care industry, hospitality industryand commercial sex work directly speak to the notion of emotional labour.

Questions:

1. The notion of emotional labour suggests that the analysis of workemphasises the physical and mental, to the neglect of the emotionalaspect of labour. Critically review Webers bureaucratic organisation withreference to this conception. What implication does this have fororganisational efficiency?

2. The commodification and alienation of human emotion were prominentin Hochschilds conception of emotional labour with regard to themanagement of others emotion. Critically discuss emotional labour withregard to commodidifaction and alienation using a case study ofcommercial sex work.

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References:

1. Arlie Russell Hochschild. 1983. The Managed Heart: TheCommercialization of HumanFeeling. Bekerley: University of California Press.

2. Brook, P. 2009 The Alienated Heart: Hochschilds Emotional LabourThesis and theAnticapitalist Politics of Alienation. Capital & Class, 98: 7-31.

3. Deshotels, T & Forsyth, C.J. 2006. Strategic Flirting and the EmotionalTab of Exotic Dancing. Deviant Behavior, 27: 223-241.

4. Fineman, S. 1993. Organisations as Emotional Arenas. In Fineman, S(ed). 1993. Emotion in Organisations. London: SAGE Publications.

5. Huynh, T, Alderson, M & Thompson, M. 2008. Emotional LabourUnderlying Caring: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis. Journal of

Advanced Nursing, 64(2): 195-208.6. Kong, T.S.K. 2006. What it Feels Like for a Whore: The Body Politics of

Women Performing Erotic Labour in Hong Kong. Gender, Work and

Organization, 13 (5): 410-434.7. Putnam, L.L & Mumby, D.K. 1993. Organisations, Emotion and the Myth

of Rationality. In Fineman, S (ed). 1993. Emotion in Organisations.London: SAGE Publications.

8. Nixon, D. 2009. I Cant Put a Smiley Face On: Working-ClassMasculinity, Emotional Labour and Service Work in the New Economy.Gender, Work and Organization, 16 (3): 300-322.

9. Parkin, W. 1993. The Public and the Private: Gender, Sexuality andEmotion. In Fineman, S (ed). 1993. Emotion in Organisations.London: SAGE Publications.

10.Payne, J. 2009. Emotional Labour and Skill: A Reappraisal. Gender,

Work andOrganisation, 16 (3): 348-367.11.Sandelands, L.E & Boudens, C.J. 2000. Feeling at Work. In Fineman, S(ed). 2000. Emotion in Organisations (2nd Edition). London: SAGEPublications.

12.Sanders, T. 2005. Its Just Acting: Sex Workers Strategies forCapitalizing on Sexuality. Gender, Work and Organisation, 12(4):319-342.


Chapter 12: Culture, emotion and identity at work.14.Syed, J. 2008. From Transgression to Suppression: Implications of Moral

Values and Societal

Norms on Emotional Labour. Gender, Work and Organization, 15 (2):182-201.

15.Waldron, V.R. 2000. Relational Experiences and Emotion at Work. InFineman, S (ed). 2000. Emotion in Organisations (2nd Edition).London: SAGE Publications.

16.West, J & Austrin, T. 2005. Markets and Politics: Public and PrivateRelations in the Case of Prostitution. In Pettinger, L, Parry, J, Taylor, Rand Glucksmann, M. 2005. A New Sociology of Work? Oxford:Blackwell Publishing.

Theme 5 (Week 9-10)

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Work in non-Industrial Contexts

The capitalist mode of production is characterised by the commodification oflabour and production for exchange value. However, it is not unusual to see

a pre-capitalist mode of production (for use value) existing simultaneouslywith a capitalist mode of production. In fact to treat these modes ofproduction as mutually exclusive is to risk the oversight of different types ofwork that subsist at the margins of the capitalist society. For example, howdo we appropriate paid and unpaid housework especially with regard todomestic workers? Many peoples daily life experiences, especially in thethird world, involve peasant farming and work on a commercial agriculturalfarm. There is a large number of people that make a living in the informalsector of the economy that the study of work should be cognizant of. This isimperative for the South African context where almost half of the labourforce is unemployed. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of workshould transcend the industrial/formal work context to include work in the

private domains, non-industrial and informal work. Even though we try tocreate a dichotomy between the modern and the traditional, as if the twocannot meet, most rural communities today are still characterised bypeasant work and dependence on land for survival. Perhaps, there is alinkage between these different work contexts.

Questions:

1. There seems to be an artificial dichotomy between the public and privatespheres in the analysis of work. Critically review the sociologicalincursion into the study of domestic work. How does the study ofdomestic work broaden and problematise the sociological understandingof work?

2. The organisation of work and the economy around the family/householdand/or community still persist in some societies, especially in the thirdworld. What implication does this have for the contemporary sociology ofwork and social relations of production vis--vis industrial capitalism?Use a case study to substantiate your review.

References:

1. Cock, J. 1980. Maids & Madams: A Study in the Politics ofExploitation.Johannesburg: Ravan Press.

Chapter 2: The experiences of domestic workers Chapter 3: Relationship between domestic workers and their

employers Chapter 4: The self imagery of domestic workers.

2. Crow, B & Thorpe, M. et al. 1988. Survival and Change in the ThirdWorld. Cambridge: Polity Press. (Chapter 7 & 8)

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Chapter 7: Developing production on the land. Chapter 8: Survival and change on the land.


Chapter 9: Unpaid work: domestic work and voluntary work.

4. Fadipe, N.A. 1970. The Sociology of the Yoruba. Ibadan: IbadanUniversity Press. Chapter 5: Economic Organisation.

5. Glavanis, K.R.G. 1984. Aspects of Non-Capitalist Social Relations inRural Egypt: The Small Peasant Household in Egyptian Delta Village. InLong, N (ed). 1984. Family and Work in Rural Societies:Perspectives on Non-Wage Labour. London: Tavistock Publications.

6. Mafeje, A. 1967. "The Role of the Bard in a Contemporary AfricanCommunity." Journal of African Languages, 6 (3): 193-223. (Available onRUConnected site).

7. Newby, H. 1985. The Work Situation of the Agricultural Worker. InLittler, C.R (ed). The Experience of Work. New York: St Martin Press.

(Chapter 6).8. Newell, S. 2000. The Superwoman Syndrome: Gender Differences in

Attitudes Towards Equal Opportunity at Work and Towards DomesticResponsibilities at Home. InGrint, K (ed). 2000. Work and Society: AReader. Cambridge: Polity. (Chapter 5).

9. Oakley, A. 1974. The Sociology of Housework. London: MartinRobertson.

Chapter 3: Images of Housework; Chapter 5: Working Conditions;Chapter 10: Conclusion.

10. Segalen, M. 1985. The Household at Work. InLittler, C.R (ed). 1985.The Experience of Work. New York: St Martin Press. (Chapter 5).

11. Strangleman, T & Warren, T. 2008. Work and Society: SociologicalApproaches, Themes and Methods. New York: Routledge. Chapter 10: Domestic work.

12. Young, M & Willmott, P. 1957. Family and Kinship in East London.Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Chapter 6: The Family in the Economy

Theme 6 (Week 11-12)

Beyond Employment: Work and Social Reproduction

The social reproduction system is imperative to the sociologicalunderstanding of work. Dickinson and Russell (1986) describe the socialreproduction system as the conduit of capitalist production relations. Thestudy of the social reproduction of labour power is imperative to the analysisof any mode of production (including capitalism) and the subsistence of thesociety at large. Webster and Von Holdt (2005) noted the distinctionbetween earning a living and making a living to indicate the growingimperative of the social reproduction system for the proper understanding of

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work. The study of the family and household, and their survival strategiescannot be divorced from the in-depth understanding of work relations. Thechallenges of social reproduction of labour and labour power such aspoverty, starvation and famine become important for societal survival. Thisdiscourse can be associated with the notions of social protection, socialsecurity and social policy. The reproduction of labour power can be linked tothree modes of consumption: production consumption within the economicsector as wages; individual consumption to create and maintain the familyand household; and collective consumption in the form of state transfers.

The boundaries between these domains of consumption are blurring, hence,the need to study work as a production and social reproduction function.

Questions:

1. The social reproduction of labour power hinges on productionconsumption, individual consumption and collective consumption.Critically discuss and assess the interaction between these modes of

consumption with regard to the reproduction of the working people.

2. Poverty is one of the biggest threats to social reproduction, which hasbrought about the social protection discourse. What are the differentconceptions of poverty? Critically assess their usefulness for the analysisof poverty in South Africa vis--vis the working poor?

References:

1. Adato, M, Carter, M.R & May, J. 2006. Exploring Poverty Traps and SocialExclusion in South Africa Using Qualitative and Quantitative Data.

Journal of Development Studies, 42(2): 226-247.2. Aliber, M. 2003. Chronic Poverty in South Africa: Incidence, Causes and

Policies. World Development, 31 (3): 473-490.3. Bandyopadhyay, P. 1986. Theoretical Approaches to the State and

Social Reproduction. In Dickinson, J & Russell, B (eds). 1986. Family,Economy and State: The Social Reproduction Process UnderCapitalism. London: Croom Helm Ltd.

4. Cornuel, D & Duriez, B. 1985. Local Exchange and State Intervention.In Redclift, N & Mingione, E (eds). 1985. Beyond Employment:Household, Gender and Subsistence. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Ltd.

5. Dickinson, J & Russell, B. 1986. Introduction: The Structure ofReproduction in Capitalist Society. In Dickinson, J & Russell, B (eds).

1986. Family, Economy and State: The Social ReproductionProcess Under Capitalism. London: Croom Helm Ltd.6. Gentilini, U. 2009. Social Protection in the Real World: Issues, Models

and Challenges. Development Policy Review, 27 (2): 147-166. Gentilini,U. 2009. Social Protection in the Real World: Issues, Models andChallenges. Development Policy Review, 27 (2): 147-166.

7. Humphries, J & Rubery, G 1984. The Reconstitution of the Supply Side ofthe Labour Market: The Relative Autonomy of Social Reproduction.Cambridge Journal of Economics, 8(4): 331-346.

8. Pahl, R.E & Wallace, C 1985. Household Work Strategies in EconomicRecession. In Redclift, N & Mingione, E (eds) 1985. Beyond

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Employment: Household, Gender and Subsistence. Oxford: BasilBlackwell Ltd.

9. Picchio, A. 1992. Social Reproduction: The Political Economy of theLabour Market. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter 6).

Chapter 6: The supply of labour as a process of social reproduction.

10.Redclift, N. 1985. The Contested Domain: Gender, Accumulation and theLabour Process. In Redclift, N & Mingione, E (eds). 1985. BeyondEmployment: Household, Gender and Subsistence. Oxford: BasilBlackwell Ltd.

11.Roberts, B.J. 2001. Chronic and Transitory Poverty in Post-ApartheidSouth Africa: Evidence from Kwazulu-Natal. Journal of Poverty, 5 (4): 1-28.

12.Sabates-Wheeler, R & Devereux, S 2007. Social Protection forTransformation. IDS Bulletin, 38 (3): 23-28.

13.Sen, A. 1981. Poverty and Famine: An Essay on Entitlement andDeprivation. Oxford: Clarendon Press. (Chapters 1 & 2).

Chapter 1: Poverty and entitlements. Chapter 2: Concepts of poverty.


Chapter 11: Unemployment.15.Townsend, P. 1993. The International Analysis of Poverty. London:

Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Chapter 2: Conceptualising Poverty. Chapter 5: A theory of poverty.

16.Wayne, J. 1986. The Function of Social Welfare in a Capitalist Economy.In Dickinson, J & Russell, B (eds). 1986. Family, Economy and State:The Social Reproduction Process Under Capitalism. London: Croom

Helm Ltd.

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