Occupation and Society

This book is a study of the effect of occupation on industrial behaviour and how occupation affects social, community and family life. The fishing industry was one of the last to experience the Industrial Revolution. In East Anglia, steam propulsion was introduced within the working life of the oldest of those interviewed for this book, and a number of radical changes in working practices, capital cost and technical development were concentrated into the brief period 1880–1914. As these changes occurred with different timing and force in the two major sectors of the industry - trawling and drifting - East Anglia is an ideal location in which to consider the effect of the forces and relations of production: the fishermen’s industrial, social and political attitudes are related to their specific work experience.