Ralph Fevre

There is a continuing popular debate in the Western world about values, and in particular those v... more There is a continuing popular debate in the Western world about values, and in particular those values by which we conduct our private lives. This debate reflects a genuine confusion about morality; it seems that we are more unsure about where right and wrong may lie than at any previous point in our history. In The Demoralization of Western Culture Ralph Fevre undertakes an explanation of these difficulties. He argues that their most important source lies in the popularity of a particular sort of reasoning, a sub-category of rationality called 'common sense' which came to dominate our thinking during the twentieth century. He looks at why this sort of reasoning has proved so persuasive and so much more powerful than the alternative modes of thinking offered by those who want to resist it.

Drawing on evidence from surveys, polls, journalism and various forms of cultural commentary, as well as works of social theory, The Demoralization of Western Culture breaks free of the conventions of academic social science, moving instead into the territory of public philosophy. This is a tradition which, the author argues, forces us to engage in ethical reflection as well as the simple evaluation of argument.

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Cheap Labour and Racial Discrimination

Cheap Labour and Racial Discrimination , 1984

This book analyses the relationship which developed between racism and capitalism in the UK in th... more This book analyses the relationship which developed between racism and capitalism in the UK in the 1970s and early 1980s. It does this by using the example of the recruitment of workers from the Indian subcontinent to work in the West Yorkshire wool textile industry. The book argues that this industry had always drawn upon cheap labour throughout its history and, when facing increasing overseas competition, it turned to this traditional solution rather than investing in labour-saving technology. This tactic had two important consequences. First, the industry became dependent on the existence of racial discrimination elsewhere in the labour market. Particularly when new immigration was restricted, the continuation of discrimination was required to keep Asian workers available as cheap labour in textiles. Second, the lack of capital investment made possible by this “cheap labour solution” meant that the industry entered a period of terminal decline. The inevitable result was that the Asian workers were eventually thrown out of work and were usually unable to find employment to replace the jobs lost in textiles. A similar pattern was seen throughout the UK textile industry and it contributed to the growth of deprivation in large parts of many northern cities and towns and to the intractable social problems and divisions which were embedded in society in this period.

Please excuse the typos – only a few of which have been corrected in this copy.

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New Sociology of Economic Behaviour published by Sage 2003

What are the solid achievements of the sociology of economic behaviour? What have been the main f... more What are the solid achievements of the sociology of economic behaviour? What have been the main failures and omissions? How will the subject develop?
In this assured and timely volume, the author demonstrates how the sociology of economic behaviour was hijacked by the economic sociology which grew out of Parsons' interpretation of Weber. This development meant that the moral considerations of classical sociology only received attention as means to economic ends. Economic sociology is based on insupportable assumptions about the power of economic rationality which also obscures the political nature of economic behaviour.

The book seeks to revitalize the classical approach and introduces students to the essential ideas in the field. It also shows researchers and graduate students how to make use of concepts like demoralization, cheap labour, dignity at work and a fair day's pay to develop critiques of current economic arrangements.

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Inequality and Individualism: the Future of Work and Politics, to be published by Edward Elgar in August 2016

A belief in individual self-determination powered the development of universal human rights and i... more A belief in individual self-determination powered the development of universal human rights and inspired social movements from anti-slavery to socialism and feminism. At the same time, every attempt to embed individualism in systems of education and employment has eventually led to increased social inequality. Across the globe individualism has been transformed from a revolutionary force into an explanation for
increasingly unequal societies where dissent is largely silent. This book explores the possibility of rediscovering the original, transformative potential of individualism.

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Ralph Fevre

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