Work is, and always will be, a central institution of society.
What makes a capitalist society unique is that it treats the human
capacity to engage in labor as a basic commodity. This can be a
source of dynamism, as when innovative firms raise wages to attract
the best and brightest. But it can also be a source of misery, as
when one's skills are suddenly rendered obsolete by forces
beyond one's control.
Jeffrey J. Sallaz asks us to rethink our basic assumptions about
work. Drawing on cutting-edge theories within economic sociology
and through the use of contemporary examples, he conceptualizes
labor as embedded exchange. This draws attention to issues that all
too frequently are overlooked in our public discourse and private
imaginations: how various forms of work are classified and valued;
how markets for labor operate in practice; and how people can
challenge the central fiction that their work is simply a commodity
to be bought and sold.
This readable and engaging book is suitable for both graduate
and advanced undergraduate students. It will be of interest to
economic sociologists, scholars of labor, and all of those who find
themselves working for a living.
