CARLETON UNIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM: BRAVERMAN AND BEYOND

Introduction by John Myles

In a period when the intellectual division of labour is intensify-

ing, it is rare to find a work which is generally acclaimed as being

"important", much less read, by social scientists representing a wide

range of disciplines and specialties. Such a work is Harry Braverman's

Labor and Monopoly Capital and it is for this reason that Braverman's

analysis of "the degradation of work in the twentieth century" was

selected as the topic for a special symposium held at Carleton Univer-

sity in the fall of 1977, a summary of which appears in the following

pages.

The centerpiece of the symposium was an address delivered by

Michael Burawoy, assistant professor of sociology at the University of

California, Berkeley. It is reprinted in this volume under the title:

"Between Marxist Orthodoxy and Critical Theory: Comments on Braverman's

Labor and Monopoly Capital" . The paper presents in summary form the

major points developed in a much longer manuscript made available to

the participants beforehand. A subsequent revision which in manuscript

form runs to 119 pages is forthcoming in Politics and Society (Vol. 8,

No. 4).

In agreeing to prepare this paper for the symposium, Burawoy

accepted the difficult and challenging task of critiquing Braverman

from within the perspective of Marxist analysis. The widespread acclaim

with which Braverman's work has been met makes this task all the more

crucial. As with any great work, it stands in danger of being accepted

as the last word on its subject matter, thereby becoming an impediment



ALTERNATE ROUTES

rather than an impetus to further theoretical and empirical analysis.

Burawoy comes well qualified for his task. His discussion of Braverman,

which is mainly pitched at a theoretical level, is informed by his own

experience and research in a Chicago factory, the results of which are

to appear in a forthcoming book entitled The Production of Consent on

the Shop Floor, 1945 - 1975: The Labor Process Under Monopoly Capitalism .

Perhaps more than any other contemporary work, Braverman 's Labor

and Monopoly Capital reflects the vitality and relevance of the recent

resurgence of Marxist analysis in North American sociology. The seeds

which Braverman has planted, however, will wither and die unless nur-

tured in an atmosphere of intellectual struggle and debate. Accordingly

the participants in the symposium were deliberately encouraged to con-

front one another and avoid the unfortunate practice of avoiding

points of disagreement which often passes for academic good manners

and professional respect. As will be apparent, the discussants of

Burawoy 's paper fulfilled their mandate admirably. The most extensive

replies came from Leo Panitch and Donald Swartz who, like Burawoy, take

their position from within the Marxist perspective. John Porter's

comments, on the other hand, are probably representative of those

sociologists who have been profoundly impressed by Braverman 's work

without accepting his Marxist frame of reference.

It is hoped that the presentation of the Carleton debate in this

issue of Alternate Routes will encourage more of the same elsewhere.