ABSTRACT
In this chapter we want to look in detail at a range of subjective factors that shape the way we think about work and employment. The issues of work culture, emotion and identity are often viewed as representing very contemporary concerns but in this chapter we want to show the way that sociology
has long been interested in how people are attached, or detached from their work. Work sociologists have consistently asked questions about how workers socialise with one another, how norms and values are created and reproduced over time. This chapter is concerned with a series of tensions. As we will see, there has been a recurring debate within sociology about the ability of people to find meaning in their work. Modern paid work is for some defined by its mundane nature where employees simply work for money. But at the same time, capitalism also creates new identities as industries emerge, relocate and close down over time.
