Construction Work: Evolving Discourses of the "Worker" in Management Textbooks, 1920s to the First Decade of the 21st

Jason Foster
Albert J. Mills

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DOI: 10.2190/WR.17.3-4.l

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore and critically evaluate how the concept of "worker" is produced in management textbooks. In other words, we seek to reveal hitherto underanalyzed discourses regarding workers and the employment relationship. Further, we seek to track the evolution of these discourses over time, linking the evolving construction of the worker to shifts in the political, economic, and social context in which the textbooks were created. Adopting the theory and method of critical discourse analysis, our analysis will reveal the underlying power relations at play within the text, as well as their consequences for education in management and organization studies (MOS).

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