Modernity Postmodernity and Social Theory
Chapter 19 Key Themes

• Labour process is a term used to encompass all the activities needed to achieve the production of goods. It includes the differential experiences of men and women in the workforce and further light is shed on this in Chapter 6 'Gender'. The relationship between the labour process and other areas of social life is a constant theme in the text; for example, look at Chapter 10 'Education'.
  
• Alienation was used by Marx to describe feelings of estrangement experienced by workers in the context of industrial capitalism. It is now more generally employed to describe people's feelings of isolation, powerlessness and self-estrangement. The theoretical underpinnings for the concept are explored in Chapter 17 'The Foundations of Social Theory'. To see a non-industrial use of the term, go to Chapter 14 'Crime'.
  
• Conflict between individuals and groups is seen by some sociologists as the defining feature of social life. While the focus on industrial conflict is specific, the wider impact of conflict in society can be followed through in Chapter 17 'The Foundations of Social Theory'. A more focused examination of issues of conflict and conflict resolution can be sfound in Chapter 8 'Power, Politics and the State'.