Subjectivity and the Dialectics of Praxis: Opening up the Core of Labour Process Analysis

Abstract

Prompted by the appearance of Labor and Monopoly Capital (1974), the labour process debate has been characterised by a series of critiques of its conceptual and historical adequacy, and by a stream of empirical studies which have varied considerably in their awareness and illumination of its central problematics. Although often exaggerated, deficiencies in Braverman’s analysis are now widely accepted. Empirical weaknesses, such as his excessive emphasis upon Taylorism and deskilling, have been addressed (e.g. Edwards, 1979). At the same time, efforts have been made to develop more adequate conceptual tools for analysing central themes, such as the dynamics of management control (e.g. Storey, 1985; Friedman, in this volume).

I would like to thank Jim McGoldrick, John Storey and David Knights for their comments on earlier drafts of this chapter. Many of the core ideas of the chapter have emerged from a joint theoretical project with David Knights that has evolved over a number of years (Knights and Willmott, 1976, 1982, 1982a, 1983, 1985, forthcoming). The chapter was initially prompted by comments made by Paul Thompson during the concluding plenary session at the 2nd UMIST-Aston Labour Process Conference. The drift of his remarks placed in question the substance and coherence of ‘dialectical’ approaches to labour process analysis (Thompson, in this volume).