Da. Spencer, Braverman and the contribution of labour process analysis to the critique of capitalist production - Twenty-five years on, WORK EMPLOY, 14(2), 2000, pp. 223-243
This paper seeks to reassess the contributions made by Braverman and subseq
uent labour process writers to the critique of capitalist production. Brave
rman's main motivation lay with the subversion of pro-capitalist ideologies
. He identified deskilling tendencies with the capitalist imperative of acc
umulation in order to promote the case for revolutionary change. The labour
process debate that Braverman helped to initiate, while successful in broa
dening understanding of concrete work relations, has difficulties in excava
ting the necessary interconnections of capitalist alienation and exploitati
on. In particular, there is a problem in separating out the different level
s of analysis that link essence and appearance in the work context. Narrow
focus on the labour process creates unnecessary conceptual confusion about
the specificity of capitalist production, and also condones an unduly pessi
mistic political agenda on the prospects for transcending capitalist domina
tion. In eschewing the important interconnections between workplace organis
ation and capitalist social relations,labour process analysis risks inverti
ng the critical intent of Braverman's Labor and Monopoly Capital by promoti
ng the continuation of the extant social order.