Race, labour process and transition: the sociology of work in South Africa

In this paper the enduring research themes which shape the sociology of work in South Africa, as well as new themes of recent scholarship in the sociology of work, are identified. The institutional context through which teaching and research into work is conducted is then described. It is suggested that a tension exists between an emphasis by management on efficiency in the workplace, with the growing political demand for greater equity in the workplace to redress the legacy of apartheid. In this context the sociological study of work is emerging as an arena of sharp intellectual and ideological contestation over the impact of globalisation on the world of work.