The politics of *production in postsocialism: Case studies from light industry in the Slovak Republic.

Abstract

After the collapse of state socialism in Eastern Europe in 1989, industrial restructuring and the privatization of industry have brought Western multinationals and new forms of work organization to the region. This study examines the transformation of the labor process from socialism to postsocialism through a comparison of the politics of production at three light industrial firms in the Slovak Republic. While current approaches to understanding power and control in the workplace tend to focus on shop floor relations and how consent is manufactured at the point of production, this study more broadly examines the social and cultural context within which the industrial labor process is embedded. The research is based on 14 months of fieldwork examining social networks, second economy activity, women's labor force participation, and labor market changes. The analysis of both qualitative and survey data shows that variation in the securing of consent on the factory floor is a function of levels of trust and reciprocity established within the workplace, both vertically (between management and workers) and horizontally (among production workers), as well as of social relations outside the workplace. Findings indicate that the securing of consent over the labor process is the result of social and cultural processes tied to notions of trust and reciprocity as well as changes in the local and regional labor markets. The study concludes with a broader examination of how structure, agency, and power vary within industrial settings, and suggests some implications for understanding power and control in the workplace.Ph.D.Cultural anthropologyLabor economicsSocial SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/123619/2/3096123.pd