Sociology of Work, Leisure, and Consumption

The examination of work, leisure and consumption in relation to social, cultural and economic relationships is important and necessary. Production relationships make up the basic institutional frameworks that influence almost all the rest of people's lives. This is especially so in an economy where labor is organized through markets -- those not engaged in paid labor in such societies are either unemployed or perform non-paid labor (historically, a role performed primarily by women). Notice, how each of these latter categories immediately conjure up moral connotations as well. In modern societies labor is not just a material imperative, it has also been one of our most idealized activities. The work ethic has long been one of the prized cultural possessions of the middle classes. Until the twentieth century, work's opposite-- leisure-- was deemed sinful by some, a luxury by others. The social and cultural changes that have occurred in the twentieth century with respect to work, leisure and consumption have been vast. How did the mechanization and bureaucratization of work change the experience and meaning of work? What made leisure and consumption activities more attractive and acceptable to people? 

	WORK AND MENTAL HEALTH Is work enslavement or liberation, curse or salvation, illness or therapy? Does work drive you CRAZY? This page examines the social-psychological side effects that work can have on your health.
	REPRESENTATIONS OF WORK THROUGH THE MEDIA " the mass media has become the authority at any given moment for what is true and what is false, what is reality and what is fantasy, what is important and what is trivial"
	BIOTECHNOLOGY Processes of Food Technology
	The Division of Leisure A glance at the ways that social class, gender and culture influence what leisure activities are available.
	Labor Unions
	Commodity Consumption Circuits