“Marx was not a sociologist, but there was a sociology in Marx,” wrote Henri Lefèbvre in the sixties. This book brings to light in Marx’s work the elements that founded Marxist sociologies and diffusedly influenced 20th-century sociologists. 

Marx was both an activist and a scholar. Is it possible to separate the writings of one from the other? What remains of Marx’s critique of capitalism? How can this critique of capitalism be used today in advanced industrial societies, but also in dominated peripheral regions? 

To answer these questions, the author presents the theory of exploitation on which the entire conceptual system of Marx is built. It is in the factory that Engels and Marx came closest to sociological practices and, in particular, to what the sociology of work would be like in the second half of the 20th century. But it is the barely sketched theories, that of social class and that of the state, which have most influenced modern sociology.

Durand is a professor of sociology at the University of Evry where he founded the Pierre Naville Center. In 2012, with a team of more than twenty-five researchers, he created the Nouvelle Revue du Travail, which develops a critical look at work, employment and vocational training in contemporary capitalism.

Beyond his interest in general sociology, he has worked in the automotive industry. His approaches favor the analysis of productive models and the mobilization regime characteristic of lean management. 

He has contributed to several sociology dictionaries and the Dictionary of Psycho-Social Risks (2014), and to numerous journals. Many of his books and articles are translated into English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Greek, Turkish and several others. 

Durand was an illustration photographer for a long time and worked for the Atlas Photo, Diaf and Photononstop agencies. He continues these activities by favoring a more aesthetic and less commercial approach. 

Today, he participates in the construction of the field of visual and film sociology, which aims to use the resources of cinema and photography to, on the one hand, document and disseminate sociological work and, on the other hand, to make it a means for insightful research.

Source:Tehran Times