Teachers' labour, class and the politics of exchange

Abstract

In this article questions are raised about the adequacy of our theoretical frameworks for analysing teachers as class workers and actors, and as an occupational group. The problem of adequacy stems from using labour process theory and production relations as the only sphere for determining class location and class relations and in doing so fails to capture the complex way in which class relations are formed. Following Marx, the author observes that an adequate framework for conceptualising class must take into account, not only the social relations of production within the sphere of production, exchange, distribution and consumption, but how each mediates and transforms the other. This article focuses upon the sphere of exchange in understanding teachers' social class interests and teachers as political actors. It is argued that recent work on class assets by Wright (1997) and Savage et al (1992 - economic, cultural and organisational - and which the author extends to include social assets, offers a powerful way of understanding the complex nature of production relations and class as it is mediated through the process of exchange. This takes us some considerable distance forward on a much bigger project on developing a coherent theoretical and empirical project on theorising teachers work and social class.