In Men and Their Work, Hughes examines how different occupations judge mistakes and manage risk.
The book shows how groups inside a field set informal rules, rituals, and standards that guide what counts as a good or bad result.
Through examples from medicine, law, teaching, and other professions, it explains why honest errors are often kept private, how experts defend their craft with tradition, and how a profession’s culture protects both practitioners and the people they serve. The discussion highlights how “art,” “cult,” and ritual help balance uncertainty and responsibility in daily work.
- How colleagues determine when a mistake has occurred and how that judgment is shared or kept private.
- Why rituals and professional codes shape perceptions of success and failure beyond simple outcomes.
- How laypeople and professionals view work differently, and what that means for trust and accountability.
- Examples from medicine, law, education, and other fields that illustrate these dynamics in practice.
Ideal for readers curious about how professionals think, work, and regulate their own standards across fields.
Everett Cherrington Hughes was an influential sociologist known for his research in ethnic relations, work and occupations, and fieldwork methodology. He taught sociology at McGill, Brandeis, Boston College, and (most famously) the University of Chicago, where he mentored in interactive and qualitative research such sociologists as Becker, Goffman, Strauss, and Friedson. Hughes served as President of the American Sociological Association and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.