Through a series of case studies of low-status interactive and embodied servicing work, Working Bodies examines the theoretical and empirical nature of the shift to embodied work in service-dominated economies.

• Defines 'body work' to include the work by service sector employees on their own bodies and on the bodies of others
• Sets UK case studies in the context of global patterns of economic change
• Explores the consequences of growing polarization in the service sector
• Draws on geography, sociology, anthropology, labour market studies, and feminist scholarship

About the Author
Linda McDowell is Professor of Human Geography and Director of the Graduate School of Geography at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of St. John's College, where she is also Director of the Research Centre. Widely published, McDowell's books include Capital Culture: Gender at Work in the City (1997), Redundant Masculinities? Employment Change and White Working Class Youth (2003) and Hard Labour (2005).

Reviews

"Nevertheless, the book is accessibly written, and the variety of themes it explores will ensure it has broad appeal among undergraduates and postgraduates studying social division, gender, service work, labour relations and their relationships. The book also provides academics working in and across the disciplines of sociology and human geography with a good overview of research into interactive work and its implications in contemporary society." (Work, Employment & Society, 25 March 2011)

"Between the covers of this beautifully crafted book is a thoughtful, innovative, and thorough analysis of high-touch interactive service work that draws on numerous case studies and ethnographies, mostly from the United Kingdom, and on the author's own original research. . . . This ambitious book is insightful and informative, and it makes a valuable contribution to the study of work in contemporary capitalist societies". (Canadian Journal of Sociology, 2010)

Book Information
ISBN 9781405159784
Author Linda McDowell
Format Paperback
Page Count 284
Imprint Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 426g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 155mm * 18mm