RHODES UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY 

INDUSTRIAL AND ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY II

HANDOUT 2

INDUSTRY, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY

Professor Monty J. Roodt

2013

1.	Introduction
 
Welcome to the course on social theory. Social theory, as you will remember from last year, underpins everything that we do in sociology, from the study of social processes such as the change from agrarian to industrial and post-industrial society and the impact of social structures such as class, gender and race within these processes. The pivotal issue of the extent to which we humans are socially constructed and determined by society and the degree of subjectivity and conscious creative choice we are able to exert, lie at the centre of the different theories we will study.

In this course we will focus on four intellectual giants of classical sociology and their critical theoretical insights into the development of industrial capitalism in Europe and its impact on social relations. The course will examine the theories of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Talcott Parsons and look at their views on the development of industrial capitalism as they grappled with issues of exploitation, social atomization, alienation and class conflict. These, among other social concerns, were the issues theorised by Marx, Durkheim and Weber and other classical social theorists such as Hegel (1770-1831), Comte (1798-1857), Spencer (1820-1903), & Simmel (1858-1918). We will focus specifically on Marx, Durkheim and Weber because they are the most important of the classical sociologists; because they are examples of three different theoretical approaches within sociology that allows us to make interesting comparisons; and because their work is still of contemporary significance, with respect both to the formation of modern sociological thought and to our understanding of the modern world.

In the final section we examine the development and transformation of industrial capitalism from early 20th century to today’s global capitalism.

2.	Learning principles underlying the course

•	you don’t do a degree, you read for a degree
•	the more you put in, the more you get out
•	passive rote learning = shallow learning
•	active participatory learning = deep learning
•	proper understanding of sociological theory and concepts requires their application to real life situations 
•	the best way to understand something is to explain it to someone else

3. Course outcomes and assessment criteria

The wished-for outcome of the course is that you enjoy it and finish feeling exhilarated by the depth of your learning and the insights that you have gained.

3.1 Sociology as a discipline: 

Outcome: By the end of the course you will have a deeper understanding of the sociological imagination; an analytic understanding of the interplay of social structures and human agency; and have developed effective techniques for active learning and problem solving.

3.2 This course on Theory and Society: 

Outcome: You will have a clear understanding of the origin of classical sociological theories of Marx, Durkheim, Weber and Parsons, as well as how they have contributed to the study of social change and provided many of the concepts that define the discipline of sociology.
 
3.3 Specific outcomes: (assessment criteria are in italics). 

The course is designed to achieve the following specific outcomes:

•	the capacity to exercise a sociological imagination (you must demonstrate an understanding of personal lives (“private troubles”) in the context of wider social forces (“public issues”) in your interaction with the lecturer, the written assignments, and the exams);
•	the ability to understand the interplay between social structure and human agency (You must be able to: demonstrate an understanding of the epistemological underpinnings of the structure/agency debate within the social sciences; critically analyze the different theories of structure and agency when required to do so in both written and verbal work);
•	the ability to learn in an active (participatory) manner and to solve problems creatively (Attend lectures regularly and participate actively in class discussions, ask questions when you do not understand, discuss interesting aspects of the course with your peers, understand people that you encounter in your own life’s sociologically; apply the sum of your sociological knowledge to your assignments and exams);
•	the ability to critically analyse the different theorists and their theories. (In class discussion, writing of assignments, the essay and the exam you must demonstrate that you have read widely, understand and can prioritise issues, synthesise information, reason logically and structure your argument with regard to the theories and concepts dealt with in the lectures).

4. Method of assessment

The course will employ both informal and formal assessment. Both are important to the learning process, as the informal assessment will feed into the formal assessment. In other words, you will not perform as well during the formal assessment if you do not participate fully in the informal assessment – both as assessor and assessed.

4.1 Informal assessment

Informal assessment will occur during lectures. I will assess you on your class attendance and your active involvement in asking questions and participating in discussions. Lack of active participation by students tends to make lectures boring, especially for the lecturer. Bored lecturers tend to give lower marks for essays and exams. The choice is yours.

4.2 Formal assessment

4.2.1 Assignments: You will write two assignments (two typed double spaced pages for each one). These will be discussed at two tutorials and marked by myself with the assistance of tutors who are Masters students in the Department. You will be given the assignment topics in a separate handout. All rules and regulations set out in Sociology Handout No 1 are applicable. Note especially the section on plagiarism, an offence that can get you excluded from not only the course, but also the university. Handout No 1 also contains a guide for the assessment of written work. 

4.2.2 Exam: You will write a three-hour write-off exam in June. The exam will cover the entire semester’s work. It will be divided into two sections, the first covering the first half of the semester, and the second half covering the second half of the semester. You will be expected to answer four short essay questions for my section of the exam. Each question will cover the issues dealt with in the lectures and tutorial assignments. We will discuss this closer to the time. Handout 1 contains a marking schedule for examinations and tests.

4.2.3 Tutorials: There will be two tutorials and the screening of the film Daens. Please make a note of the dates for these:
•	Daens – Friday 18 February, periods 7 and 8;
•	Tutorial 1 – Friday March 3
•	Tutorial 2 – Friday March 17
5. Course outline

Section 1: 	The social and intellectual forces that gave rise to sociological theory.

The first section of this course consists of a brief introduction to the social and intellectual influences which contributed to the origin of sociology as a discipline.  The aim of this section is to explore the changing conditions in Europe that gave rise to what Romm and Sarakinsky (1994:6) describe as “critical scientific rationalism”, starting with “the age of reason, to the emergence of empiricism, positivism, and theoretical realism.

          To illustrate the effects of some of the social and intellectual forces in the nineteenth century which led to the origin of sociology, you are required to attend a screening of the award-winning film “Daens”.

          The film “Daens” is based on a novel (Pieter Daens by Louis Paul Boon), and contains references to most of the issues which can be regarded as important social forces in the development of sociological theory:

1.	Political instability.
2.	Industrial change and the rise of capitalism.
3.	The rise of socialism.
4.	Increasing urbanisation.
5.	Changes in traditional religious beliefs.
6.	Technological development.
7.	Shifts in class structures.
8.	Changes in the family as institution.

These issues are depicted in this highly acclaimed film.  Watching this film will facilitate your understanding of the first part of the course, namely the assessment of some of the social forces in the development of sociological theory.
        Attendance at a screening of the film “DAENS” is compulsory.

Prescribed readings:

Johnson, D.P. 1971. Sociological theory: classical founders and contemporary
	perspectives. New York: J. Wiley and Sons.

Jones, P. 2003.  Introducing social theory.   Cambridge:  Polity.

Ritzer, G. 1992. Classical sociological theory.  New York: McGraw-Hill. 

Ritzer, G. (ed.)  2000.  The Blackwell companion to major classical social 
		theorists.  Oxford:  Blackwell.

Romm, N. and Sarakinsky, M. (eds.) 1994. Social theory. Isando: Lexicon.

Recommended readings:

Benton, T. 1977. The philosophical foundations of three sociologies. London: 
		Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Skidmore, W. 1975. Theoretical thinking in sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge 
		University Press.

Turner, J. and Beeghley, L. 1981. The emergence of sociological theory. 
		Homewood, Illinois: Dorsey Press.

Zeitlin, I. 1968. Ideology and the development of sociological theory. 
		Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Section 2: 		Karl Marx (1818-1883) 

No social theorist had a greater influence on the critical analysis of society than Karl Marx.  For Marx the most important part of society is its economic system – the way in which people work and produce goods and services – and he saw this aspect as underlying all social relationships.  These relationships were for him based largely on inequality and oppression, which therefore made it inherently unstable and contradictory.  History, Marx believed, was divided into a series of distinct epochs, or modes of production, each characterised by a specific set of social relationships.

As with many thinkers, Marx's ideas changed over time. The early writings tend to focus on human nature (a humanist/romantic approach) while the intermediate and later writings are firmly "materialist", giving priority to the economy and economic relations. The object of his work as a whole is to conceptualise change, understood as the transition from one mode of production to another. History is seen as a developmental process culminating in communism, the last stage in social evolution. Within this theory of history, known as “historical materialism”, Marx developed with his long-time collaborator Friederich Engels, a theory of society that analysed the class structure and dynamics of capitalist society. Marx’s theories, although not as popular as they were due to the many problems arising out of practical attempts to implement communist society, are with recent modifications, still a powerful analytical tool within the social sciences and within political struggles against oppression around the world.

Prescribed readings:

Johnson, D.P. 1971. Sociological theory: classical founders and contemporary 
	perspectives. New York:  J. Wiley and Sons.

Ritzer, G. 1992. Classical sociological theory.  New York: McGraw-Hill. 

Turner, J. and Beeghley, L. 1981. The emergence of sociological theory. 
	Homewood, Illinois: Dorsey Press.

Recommended readings; general:

Avineri, S. 1980. The social and political thought of Karl Marx. Cambridge: 
	Cambridge University Press.

Carver, T. (ed.) 1992. The Cambridge companion to Marx. Cambridge: 
	Cambridge University Press.

Elster, J. 1986. An introduction to Karl Marx. Cambridge: Cambridge 
	University Press.

Singer, P. 1980. Marx. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wood, A. 1980. Karl Marx. London: Routledge.

Readings on "alienation"

Marx, K. 1963. Early writings. London: Watts.

Mészáros, I. 1982. Marx's theory of alienation. London: Merlin.

Ollman, B. 1976. Alienation: Marx's conception of man in capitalist society. 
	Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wood, A. 1980. Karl Marx. London: Routledge. Chs. 1-4.

Readings on "capitalism and class structure"

Avineri, S. 1980. The social and political thought of Karl Marx. Cambridge: 
	Cambridge University Press.

Giddens, A. 1982. Capitalism and modern social theory: An analysis of the 
	writings of  Marx, Durkheim Max Weber. Cambridge: Cambridge 
	University Press.

McLellan, D. 1980. The thought of Karl Marx. London: Macmillan.

Swingwood, A. 1975. Marx and modern social theory. London: Macmillan.

Readings on "base/superstructure"

Carver, T. (ed.) 1992. The Cambridge companion to Marx. Cambridge: 
	Cambridge University Press.

Cowling, M. and Wilde, L. 1989. Approaches to Marx. Milton Keynes: Oxford 
	University Press.

Miller, R. 1984. Analyzing Marx. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Wood, A. 1980. Karl Marx. London: Routledge. Chs. 1-4.

Section 3:		Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

Emile Durkheim’s view in The Division of Labour is guardedly more optimistic than Marx’s blatant pessimistic analysis of the division of labour in the 18th-19th century capitalist society. While Marx saw the specialisation of labour as enslaving workers in their occupational role and causing acrimony between social classes, Durkheim believed that the promise of the division of labour outweighed the problems. He acknowledged that specialised division of labour and the rapid expansion of the industrial society contained threats to social solidarity. However, he still maintained that the division of labour could increase interdependence and thus reinforce social solidarity. He noted that in order to produce goods and services more efficiently, individuals had to specialise in particular roles. To him, this specialisation requires cooperation, which in turn leads to organic solidarity. 

The main influences on Durkheim's thought are Henri Saint-Simon and Auguste Comte on the one hand and the attempt by some German theorists to apply the organic approach in biology to society.  Durkheim accepted his predecessors’s definition of a positive social science and spent most of his life attempting to develop sociology into a respectable discipline.  He is well known for his functional analysis of society even though he separated function from cause in his analyses.  Durkheim argued that society evolved from a simple mechanical to a complex organic structure and that the change was caused by a range of factors including an increase in population.  Furthermore, he insisted that society has an existence that was separate from the individuals who constitute it.  Paradoxically, he attempted to provide a sociological explanation of individuality in the modern world.

Prescribed readings:

Johnson, D.P. 1971. Sociological theory: classical founders and contemporary perspectives. New York:  J. Wiley and Sons.

Ritzer, G. 1992. Classical sociological theory.  New York: McGraw-Hill. 

Romm, N. and Sarakinsky, M. (eds.) 1994. Social theory. Isando: Lexicon.

Turner, J. and Beeghley, L. 1981. The emergence of sociological theory. Homewood, Illinois: Dorsey Press.

Recommended readings:

Bierstedt, R. 1966. Durkheimian sociology: Cultural studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bottomore, T. and Nisbet, R. 1979. History of sociological analysis. London: Heinemann.

Coser, L.A. 1977.  Masters of sociological thought. New York: Harcourt Brace
   Jovanovich.

Crow, G. 2005.  The art of sociological argument.  Houndmills:  Palgrave Macmillan.

Cuff, E.C. and Payne, G. (eds.) 1984. Perspectives in sociology. London: Allen and Unwin.

Durkheim, E. 1933. The division of labour in society. Glencoe: Free Press.

Durkheim, E. 1974. Sociology and philosophy. London: Routledge.

Durkheim, E. 1976. The elementary forms of religious life. London: Routledge.

Durkheim, E. 1982. The rules of sociological method. London: Routledge.

Gane, M. 1988. The radical sociology of Durkheim and Mauss. London: Routledge.

Giddens, A. (ed.) 1972. Emile Durkheim: selected writings. New York: The Free Press.

Jones, R. 1986. Emile Durkheim. London: Sage.

Jones, P. 2003.  Introducing social theory.  Cambridge:  Polity.

Larson, C.J. 1977. Major themes in sociological theory. New York: David McKay.

Lukes, S. 1973. Emile Durkheim: His life and work. London: Allen Lane.

Mestronic, S. 1991. The coming  fin de siecle. London: Routledge.

Nisbet, R. 1965. Emile Durkheim. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Parkin, F. 1992. Durkheim. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Pearce, F. 1989. The radical Durkheim. London: Unwin Hyman.

Pickering, W.S.F. 1975. Durkheim on religion. London: Routledge.

Pickering, W.S.F. 1984. Durkheim's sociology of religion. London: Routledge.

Rhea, A. (ed.) 1981. The future of the sociological classics. London: George Allen and Unwin.

Ritzer, G. (ed.) 2000.  The Blackwell companion to major classical social theorists.  Oxford:  Blackwell.

Zeitlin, I. 1968. Ideology and the development of sociological theory. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Section 4:		Max Weber (1864-1920)

Weber’s work can be seen as a critique of the deterministic bent of Marx and Durkheim’s materialist and structural functional view of individual agency in a capitalist society. Weber developed a sociological method known as “verstehen” that requires the sociologist to put aside their own values in order to subjectively understand the meaning behind other people’s actions. Another contribution of Weber’s is the notion of “ideal-types” – conceptual abstractions that people employ in trying to understand the complexities of the social world. He applied this concept most famously to his study of modern bureaucracy.

Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism examines the relationship between the rise of certain forms of Protestantism (Calvinism) and the development of rational capitalism. He focused on the subjective world of the individual, and the meaning attached to the religious inspired social action. He looked at how religion shaped men’s mentality and affected their behaviour in various aspects of their lives, particularly their attitudes to economics. He saw Calvinism as a dynamic faith well suited to the progress of the modern world, the advance of the bourgeoisie, and the evolution of capitalism (Hamilton, 2000). 

As was the case with Durkheim and Marx, Max Weber was primarily concerned with the emergence of modern capitalist society and the human relationships surrounding them.  Similarly to Marx, Weber was interested in the issue of class, although he believed it was the product of a wider range of forces than simply the ownership of property.  Furthermore, Weber explored the relationship between the Reformation and the ultimate rise of capitalism, as well as the increasingly complex administrative structures of the modern age.

Prescribed readings:

Hamilton, A. 2000. “Max Weber’s protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism”. In S. 	Turner (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Weber. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [ 301.01 WEB/CAM. Short Loan.]

Johnson, D.P. 1971. Sociological theory: classical founders and contemporary perspectives. New York: J. Wiley and Sons.

Ritzer, G. 1992. Classical sociological theory.  New York: McGraw-Hill. 

Turner, J. and Beeghley, L. 1981. The emergence of sociological theory. Homewood, Illinois: Dorsey Press.

Recommended readings:

Andreski, S. 1984. Max Weber's insights and errors. London: Routledge.

Aron, R. 1982. Main currents in sociological thought. Vol. 2. pp.185-258. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin.

Beetham, D. 1987. Max Weber's theory of modern politics. Oxford: Blackwell.

Bendix, R. 1960. Max Weber: An intellectual portrait. London: Heinemann.

Crow, G. 2005.  The art of sociological argument.  Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.

Eldridge, J. (ed.) 1970. Max Weber: An interpretation of social reality.  London: Joseph.

Eliaeson, S. 2002.  Max Weber’s methodologies. Cambridge:  Polity.

Gerth, H.H. and Mills, C.W. (eds.) 1958. From Max Weber: essays in sociology. (Part 2).  New York: Oxford University Press.

Giddens, A. 1972. Politics and sociology in the thought of Max Weber. London: Macmillan.

Glassman, R. and Murvar, V. 1984. Max Weber's political sociology.  Westport:  Greenwood Press.

Green, R. (ed.) 1959. Protestantism and capitalism: The Weber thesis and its critics.  New York: Heath and Co.

Hekman, S. 1983. Max Weber and contemporary social theory. Oxford: Martin  Robertson.

Holton, R. and Turner, B. 1989.  Max Weber on economy and society. London:  Routledge.

Jones, P. 2003.  Introducing social theory.  Cambraidge:  Polity.
  
Käsler, F. 1979. Max Weber: An introduction to his life and work. Cambridge: Polity.

Mayer, J. (ed.) n.d. Max Weber and German politics. London: Faber.

Mommsen, W.J. 1984. Max Weber and German politics 1890-1920. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Mommsen, W.J. 1989. The political and social theory of Max Weber. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Rheinstein, M. 1954. Max Weber on law in economy and society. Cambridge (Mass):  Harvard.

Ritzer, G. (ed.) 2000. The Blackwell companion to major classical social theorists.  Oxford:  Blackwell.

Schroeder, R. 1992. Max Weber and sociology of culture.  London: Sage.

Tribe, K. (ed.) 1989. Reading Weber. London: Routledge.

Weber, M. 1930. The Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. London: Allen Unwin.

Weber, M. 1949. The methodology of the social sciences. New York: Free Press.

Weber, M. 1950. General economic history. New York: Free Press.

Whimster, S. (ed.) 2004.  The essential Weber.  A reader.  New York:  Routledge.

Whimster, S. and Lash, S. (eds.)  1987.  Max Weber, rationality and modernity. London: Allen Unwin.

Section 5:		20th – 21st Century Capitalism 

In this section we examine the development and transformation of industrial capitalism from early 20th century to today’s global capitalism. Industrial capitalism refers to the system of mechanized and mass production of goods using a systematic division of labour and specialised management. This was exemplified by Henry Ford in his car factories in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Fordism became the model for the low-cost production of standardized goods for a mass market (aided by the mass media industry). We then consider the contentious notion of post-industrialism or post-Fordism, which is seen as a shift from heavy industrial production to more flexible methods of production. These are focused on innovation, diversity and quality, and requiring a reduced and multi-skilled labour force. Finally, we will look at global capitalism, that is, the ever increasing worldwide network of production, consumption and economic exchange. 

Readings

Braverman, H. 1974. Labor and monopoly capital: degradation of work in the
twentieth century. New York: Monthly Review Press. [331.0904 BRA Chapters 4 – 14].

Castells M. 2000. Information technology and global capitalism. In W.Hutton & 
	A. 

Castells, M. 2000. Global information capitalism. In D. Held & A. McGrew. The
	global transformations reader: an introduction to the globalization 
	debate. Cambridge: Polity Press. [327 GLO S/L Chapter 27]

Dicken, P. 2003. (4th ed.). Global shift: reshaping the global economic map in 
	the 21st century. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Giddens A. 2000. On the edge: living with global capitalism. London: Jonathan
Cape. [337 ONT S/L]

Gilpin, R. 2000. The nation-state in the global economy. In D. Held & A. McGrew.
	The global transformations reader: an introduction to the globalization 
	debate. Cambridge: Polity Press. [327 GLO S/L Chapter 27]
Handley, A.2008. Business and the state in Africa: economic policy-making in the
	neo-liberal era. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [338.96 HAN S/L 
	Chapters 2, 5 & 6]

Held, D. & McGrew, A. (eds.) 2000 (2nd ed.). The global transformations reader:
	an introduction to the globalization debate. Cambridge: Polity Press. 
	[327 GLO S/L Chapter 1]

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Professor Jan K. Coetzee and Ms Janet Chisaka for the use of material from their 2010 handouts.