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54th out of 72 books
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Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century
This widely acclaimed book, first published in 1974, was a classic from its first day in print. Written in a direct, inviting way by Harry Braverman, whose years as an industrial worker gave him rich personal insight into work, Labor and Monopoly Capital overturned the reigning ideologies of academic sociology.
This new edition features an introduction by John Bellamy Foste
...morePaperback, 460 pages
Published
December 1st 1998
by Monthly Review Press
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![Das Kapital [Abridged] by Karl Marx](http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328769855m/238953.jpg "Das Kapital [Abridged] by Karl Marx")
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Does your job suck? I bet you said yes. Are you proud of what you do for a living? "No," right? Chances are good that whoever you are (which is probably just you, Maya, I know), your job requires you to be either chained to a desk or behind a counter or to sell something (and by "sell" I mean throw your scruples into the gutter each morning before you're off to engage in the act of convincing insecure people to spend their money on things they don't need or want, nor had they...more
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I had my doubts that this would be interesting, but in fact it is an easy, and excellent read, not at all the dull one you might expect by the title. A well-deserved leftist classic. The alienation of labor clearly has not ended with technological advance and Braverman argues (to me quite successfully) that is has actually gotten worse.
This 1974 work started "the labor process debate" (finding that there was a decline in the use of skilled labor as a result of managers strat...more
This 1974 work started "the labor process debate" (finding that there was a decline in the use of skilled labor as a result of managers strat...more
This is the kind of book (like Jane Jacob's Death and Life of Great American Cities) that I think every human being in the world ought to know on a basic level, although very few people will want to read it cover-to-cover. The main idea is pretty simple: Employers do absolutely anything they can to apply technology and constantly break jobs down into simpler and simpler tasks. Despite the hype about technology making work easier, it means that over time, there is a constantly growing majority of...more
I am reading this for a marxist, socialist book group. Although I have been resisting reading non-fiction lately, my commitment to the group convinced me to read despite my mood.
This is the first book I've read that focuses on how capitalism fucks with skilled workers. I've been a skilled craftsperson for over 35 years and nothing I read seemed unfamiliar. I realize that this is not the information we usually receive, yet it is the reality that most of us live.
We need more b...more
This is the first book I've read that focuses on how capitalism fucks with skilled workers. I've been a skilled craftsperson for over 35 years and nothing I read seemed unfamiliar. I realize that this is not the information we usually receive, yet it is the reality that most of us live.
We need more b...more
this books is one of my favorites of all time. so clear and well written and the content is a fantastic synthesis of both theory and application to conditions of labor both in the past and in the present. a great basis for understanding what is consistent in labor from a capitalist stand point as well as why labor has become particularly stultifying in later stage capitalism. highly recommended!
An interesting look at how labor has been changed by technology. A big emphasis is made against Taylorism and Scientific Management (controlling meticulously the decions/process/results) which he argues degrades humanity and their need to imagine/condeptualize/communicate.
Brilliant critical analysis of the conditions of modern labor; Braverman takes a critical look at Taylorism and the effects of what is called "scientific management." Want to know why your job sucks? Feeling a bit alienated? Don't know how things got to where they are but are fed up with it? Well, this book won't give you all the answers, but it will set you on the right path. This was excellent!
Important extention of Marx's analysis of capitalism--shows why class struggle is intrinsic to the work experience of everyone in our society. Demolishes the idea that just because we produce more, our lives are better. Echoes Marx in asserting that creative labor is an essential human need and shows why our society denies it to all but a small minority.
I was very interested in the analysis of how the historical simplification of jobs makes a difference for workers on the micro level. But of course this whole line of literature related to the effects of "monopoly capital" ignored (and frustratingly, doesn't even address) Schumpeter, and we've seen it not borne out.
great argument about the continuing relevance of marxism and the working class in today's service economy.
a masterpiece
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