ABSTRACT
Industrial sociology is an important and fascinating subject. Its importance is obvious, since the world of work and the patterning of industrial structures and economic processes profoundly shape the kind of people we are, our social identities and life styles, and the kind of society in which we live. The social, economic and political organisation of industrial society, and the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of its members interact in a complex way. Understanding this complexity is what sociology is about, while a particular concern with industrial and economic structures and experiences is the focus of industrial sociology. This is the fascination of the subject. For in posing the question ‘What is industrial sociology?’ we immediately confront the main. dilemmas and questions posed by sociology about contemporary society, its conflicts, shared values and aims and the direction of its development.
