ABSTRACT
In this chapter we look at how feudal societies became industrialised and at the implications of the moves towards industrialism for the organisation and experience of work. We show that the growth of industrial society stimulated discussions – and fears – as to what these developments meant for the quality of work and for workers’ lives. In particular, we look at the growth of the
factory to identify a range of fundamental concerns for the sociology of work: concerns to do with discipline, control and resistance; the labour process; rationality and technological efficiencies; and alienation. Finally, we problematise the emphasis on class divisions in the early approaches to industrial society and show that, while class divisions are fundamental, incorporating the social divisions of gender and ‘race’ is vital too if we want to understand changes – and continuities – in the organisation and experience of work in modernity.
