Page 294 - The ISA Handbook in Contemporary Sociology

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Markets Against Society:

Labor’s Predicament in the

Second Great Transformation

Edward Webster and Robert Lambert

Sociology had its beginnings in the attempts showed how society took measures to protect
by classical social thinkers, such as Marx, itself against the disruptive impact of the
Durkheim and Weber, to interpret the first unregulated market. This he called the
‘great transformation’ to the market econ- ‘double movement’ whereby ever-wider
omy. Its emergence was connected to the extensions of free market principles gener-
widespread concern with the economic, ated counter-movements to protect society.
social, cultural and moral effects of moving Against an economic system that dislocates
from a non-industrial to an industrializing the very fabric of society, the social counter-
society. This concern reflected the major movement, he argued, is based on the
fault line of politics at the time between the ‘principle of social protection aiming at the
proponents of economic liberalism and their conservation of man and nature’ (Polanyi,
advocacy of the self-regulating market and, 2001: 33).
on the other side, those who favored inter- What implications does the Second Great
vention to ‘protect society’. Transformation have for the labor movement?
The rapid growth of economic liberalism A ‘triple tension’, Richard Hyman writes, lies
over the past 20 years has led sociologists to at the heart of union identity (2001: 3). Trade
define the current period of world history as unions, he says, are drawn in three directions
the Second Great Transformation (Munck, as they engage market, class and society. Put
2002). The theoretical work of Karl Polanyi differently, unions, as institutions, engage in
has emerged as the most influential in the competitive relations (through the market),
construction of a sociology of the Second conflictual relations (through class-based
Great Transformation (Burawoy, 2000: 693; conflict) and cooperative relations (through
2003a; Munck, 2004). In Karl Polanyi’s clas- society). In European trade union history this
sic study of the industrial revolution, in what gave rise to a ‘triple polarization of trade
he called the Great Transformation, he union identities’ (2001: 4). As associations of