Synopsis
Two broad developments reshaped work at the end of the twentieth century. The first was the implosion of the Soviet Union and the worldwide triumph of market capitalism. The second was the increasing use of computer-based production technologies and management command-and-control systems. How do we make sense of these important developments? The editors have assembled a collection of provocative, original essays on work and workplaces throughout the world that challenge the current celebration of globalization and new technologies. Building on labor process analysis, individual case studies venture beyond factory and office to examine virtual workplaces, computer-era cottage work, and emotional and household labor. The settings range from Indian and Irish software factories to Brazilian supermarkets, Los Angeles sweatshops, and Talwanese department stores. Other essays seek to make theoretical sense of increasingly de-centered production chains, fluid work relations, and uncertain employment. Individually and collectively the authors construct a new critical study of work, highlighting the connections between geography, technology, gender, race, and class. They offer an accessibl
Reviews
This compilation of essays, "inspired by" a 1998 conference called "Work, Difference, and Social Change: Two Decades after Braverman's Labor Supply and Monopoly Capital" that was organized by Baldoz (sociology, Univ. of Hawaii), Charles Koeber (sociology, Wichita State Univ.), and Philip Kraft (sociology, SUNY at Binghamton), takes on the reality of globalization in the workplace. The book is divided into four partsD"The Global Perspective: Continuity and Change," "Service and Service Sector Workers," "Production and Industrial Workers," and "Professional and Technical Workers"Dwith two or more essays in each part. Geographically wide-ranging and always interesting, the essays compare favorably with those found in other recent publications on these topics, including Arthur B. Shostak's CyberUnion (Sharpe, 1999), Paul J.J. Welfens's Globalization of the Economy, Unemployment and Innovation (Springer, 1999), and J.W. Smith's Economic Democracy (Sharpe, 2000). Like these other titles, this volume's level of discussion makes it appropriate for academic and special collections.DEllen D. Gilbert, Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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