Organizational Sociology and Class Politics

Debates on the nature of class politics tend to be organized around analyses of class structure, class experience, and the relationship between them. In this paper, I suggest that, when it comes to class mobilization in the formal political arena, these discussions fall short. Trade unions are the primary vehicle for the political mobilization of the working class. But the politics of trade unions are neither a function of specific industrial conditions nor reducible to the actual or perceived interests of their members. I argue that organizational sociology can help remedy these theoretical gaps. It holds three important insights for the study of class politics: First, it stresses that the identity and practices of organizations are formed in dialogue with a wider organizational field. Second, it highlights how the need for legitimation shapes the proliferation of particular organizational models. Finally, it posits that organizational forms in and of themselves serve as political frameworks that structure mobilization. I demonstrate the utility of this approach through a comparison of trade union politics in the US and the UK at the turn of the twentieth century.