Harry Braverman

1920-1976

Braverman begins his analysis by pointing to a contradiction in the literature on work. There is the widespread belief and assertion that modern occupations are more demanding in terms of technical skills, educational levels, and training. So entrenched is this belief that it is rarely questioned or examined. However, even some of the same people making these assertions are reporting widespread dissatisfaction with work--the hours, the pace, the lack of meaningful participation, low morale, high absenteeism, and early retirement. These two views, he points out, are somewhat contradictory, though there is little attempt in the literature to reconcile these differences. This is surprising in that work, Marx (and thus Braverman) asserts, is central to the human animal. It is through work that men and women realize their very humanity. Braverman does Marx better than Marx does Marx. His analysis of 20th century capitalism and its impact on workers is the best in the literature. Do not be put off by the title of his main work, Labor and Monopoly Capital, it is an exciting read.

Read: Chapter 2: "Braverman's Marxist Analysis" in Macrosociology: The Study of Sociocultural Systems.

Glossary:
Look these words up in your chapter reading or in the Glossary of Social Science; study them and be ready for fill-in-the-blanks on the next exam:

division of labor detailed division of labor infrastructure

capital labor power industrialism

expropriation artisans management

Taylorism scientific management human relations management

manipulation rationalization process commodification

technology corporations industrial reserve army

capitalist class working class ownership

service workers craftsmen clerical workers

operatives and laborers technical specialists

Essays:

Demonstrate to me that you have read and mastered the course material. Answer the following essay questions to be turned in during class before your exam over this unit. For full credit, list the question, address the questions fully and completely in your own words and voice. Length should be about 500 words per question.

What is the detailed division of labor? What functions does it serve? What dysfunctions?

What is the commodification of social life? How is it a function of monopoly capitalism?

Short Answers:

The following short answer questions are from your readings and are to be turned in during class before your exam over this unit. Each can be answered with a short paragraph of three or four sentences; use your own words and voice.

What is "the problem of management"?
Describe scientific management? Is it in widespread practice in corporate America?
What is the commodification of social life?
What is the contradiction Braverman points to in the literature on work?
What three conditions must be met for the creation of a labor market?
Why do workers enter into employment in a capitalist society? Why does a capitalists employ workers?
What is the "capitalist problem of management"?
According to Braverman, how do capitalists maximize their profits?
What is the detailed (or manufacturing) division of labor?
How does the detailed division of labor increase productivity?
Why is the detailed division of labor problematic for the worker?
Aside from increasing productivity, what are the cost advantages in employing detail workers?
What does the worker have to sell in the labor market?
What is Taylorism?
What role does manipulation play in the management of workers?
What forces stimulated the use of science in capitalist production?
According to Braverman, what effect does capitalism have on the working classes?
What sociocultural forces caused the development of monopoly capitalism?
Why has marketing become a key component of capitalist expansion?
What impact does commodification have on family life?
According to Braverman, what is the role of the state in a capitalist society?
Is the working class in decline under monopoly capitalism?
Who is the industrial reserve army?
According to Braverman, who is the middle level of power in capitalist societies? What is the extent of their power?

Links:

Harry Braverman's Marxist Analysis

Big Business Moves in on the Farmer

Videos:

Reference:

Braverman, Harry (1974/1998) Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Features | Syllabus | Theorists

division of labor	detailed division of labor	infrastructure
capital	labor power	industrialism
expropriation	artisans	management
Taylorism	scientific management	human relations management
manipulation	rationalization process	commodification
technology	corporations	industrial reserve army
capitalist class	working class	ownership
service workers	craftsmen	clerical workers
operatives and laborers	technical specialists