Work, Employment and Society

Work, Employment and Society is the second journal to be published by the British Sociological Association. It appears for the first time almost exactly twenty years after the publication of the first issue of Sociology. At that time Banks pointed out that part of the impetus for the establishment of the Association's own journal was the recognition that it 'could be an instrument for the propagation of satisfactory scholarly standards in the discipline'. As such it reflected and reinforced the changes which took place in sociology in Britain during the 1960s as it became more 'professional' and more widely accepted, but as a specialism within rather than as 'a synthesis of the social sciences' (Banks 1967: 5-6). Though there remain areas and issues in contention, by and large sociology is now established as one of the essential social science disciplines, and sociological research is accepted as making an important contribution to the understanding and explanation of many issues of public and academic concern. The case for launching this new journal is rather different from the reasons which led to the establishment of Sociology; it is that there is now so much research and writing in one of the areas with which sociologists have always been most preoccupied, and such a large number of interested readers, not all of whom are sociologists or academics, that such an initiative is both desirable and viable. Sociologists have always been concerned with questions relating to the nature of work and to the social relations surrounding employment and production (see, for example, Carter 1968). Though the terms in which the problems are to be investigated have changed over the years, they have seen this area of study as providing an essential key to the understanding of social relations in any society. The journal therefore represents a continuation of and contribution to a long and strong tradition. There have, however, been some very important developments in the study of work and employment during the last fifteen to twenty years. These changes have taken place partly in response to major changes in the British and world economies, and partly as a result of intellectual developments within sociology and other social science disciplines. This is not the place to attempt a comprehen sive account of what has occurred, but a brief discussion will indicate something of how those responsible for Work, Employment and Society define its scope and purpose. It is important to note, too, that in establishing a journal which we hope will act as a focus for research and scholarship in this important field, we wish to provide a forum for all those concerned to understand the changing patterns of