Lost in Work

Amelia Horgan

Description

***Evening Standard's best non-fiction 2021***

'A brilliant, searing exposé of the lies underpinning work' - Owen Jones

'Work hard, get paid.' It's simple. Self-evident. But it's also a lie—at least for most of us. For people today, the old assumptions are crumbling; hard work in school no longer guarantees a secure, well-paying job in the future. Far from a gateway to riches and fulfilment, 'work' means precarity, anxiety and alienation.

Amelia Horgan poses three big questions: what is work? How does it harm us? And what can we do about it? While abolishing work altogether is not the answer, Lost in Work shows that when we are able to take control of our workplaces, we become less miserable, and can work towards the transformative goal of experimenting with 'work' as we know it.

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Work’s fantasy

1. Work, capitalism and capitalist work

2. Contesting ‘work’

3. The paradox of new work

4. What does work do to us as individuals?

5. Jobification nation: When play is serious business

6. What does work do to society?

7. Phantoms and slackers: Resistance at work

8. Getting together: Organised labour and the workers’ dream

9. Time off: Resistance to work

Conclusion: Getting to work

Sujets

• Economic Disparity
• Social Classes
• Social Science
• Sociologie, société et politique
• Reino Unido
• 21st century
• Sociology
• General officer
• United Kingdom
• Social class
• Capitalism
• Great Britain
• General
• Labor
• Discrimination
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786806994
• Langue: English

Extrait

LostinWork

‘A brîîant, searîng exposé o the îes underpînnîng work.’

—Owen Jones

‘Fascînatîng and absorbîng ... a correctîve to the wîdespread vîew that anyone can înd uîment through theîr job, î they just work hard enough.’ —Grace Bakeey, edîtor oFutures of Socialism

‘Ameîa Horgan îs, în the words o organîser Fred Ross, a socîa arsonîst. Her book wî set your word on îre. Somewhere în our bones, we know that work îs gettîng worse. But wîth thîs book, Horgan has provîded the match and the kîndîng we need to burn the whoe thîng down.’ —Sarah Jae, author oWork Won’t Love You Back

‘At ast, a book that heps us apprecîate the ong hîstory o the workîng-cass chaenge to the tyranny o work that puts cass strugge în the workpace îrmy back on the agenda.’ —John McDonne, ormer Shadow Chanceor o the Labour Party

‘An exceent and împortant book. It combînes sharp poîtîca însîght wîth nuanced anayses ... an învauabe resource to those wîth an înterest not just în better understandîng abour and expoîtatîon, but aso în the possî- bîîtîes o reedom and coectîve joy.’ —Heen Hester, Proessor o Gender, Technoogy and Cutura Poîtîcs, Unîversîty o West London, author oXenofeminism

‘I can’t thînk o a more succînct and eegant expressîon o what work does to us and, în turn, why ît’s never been more urgent to shape our work.’ —Wî Stronge, Dîrector o Research at Autonomy and author oPostWork

‘An încîsîve anaysîs o the contemporary crîsîs o work – and a rîngîng ca to reîmagîne ît.’ —Amîa Srînîvasan, Chîchee Proessor o Socîa and Poîtîca Theory at A Sous Coege, Oxord, and author oThe Right to Sex: Feminism in the Twentyfirst Century

Outspoken by Pluto Serîes Edîtor: Neda Tehranî

Patormîng underrepresented voîces; întervenîng în împortant poîtîca îssues; reveaîng poweru hîstorîes and gîvîng voîce to our experîences; Outspoken by Puto îs a book serîes unîke any other. Unraveîng debates on emînîsm and cass, work and borders, unîons and cîmate justîce, thîs serîes has the answers to the questîons you’re askîng. These are books that dîssent.

Aso avaîabe:

Mask Off Masculinity Redefined JJ Boa

Border Nation A Story of Migration Leah Cowan

Behind Closed Doors Sex Education Transformed Nataîe Fîennes

Feminism, Interrupted Disrupting Power Loa Ouemî

Split Class Divides Uncovered Ben Tîppet

LostinWork

EscapingCapitalism

Ameîa Horgan

Fîrst pubîshed 2021 by Puto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA

www.putobooks.com

Copyrîght © Ameîa Horgan 2021

The rîght o Ameîa Horgan to be îdentîîed as the author o thîs work has been asserted în accordance wîth the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng în Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record or thîs book îs avaîabe rom the Brîtîsh Lîbrary

ISBN ISBN ISBN ISBN

978 0 7453 4091 3 978 1 78680 699 4 978 1 78680 700 7 978 1 78680 701 4

Paperback PDF EPUB Kînde

Typeset by Stanord DTP Servîces, Northampton, Engand

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introductîon: Work’s antasy 1. Work, capîtaîsm and capîtaîst work 2. Contestîng ‘work’ 3. The paradox o new work 4. What does work do to us as îndîvîduas? 5. Jobîîcatîon natîon: When pay îs serîous busîness 6. What does work do to socîety? 7. Phantoms and sackers: Resîstance at work 8. Gettîng together: Organîsed abour and the workers’ dream 9. Tîme o: Resîstance to work Concusîon: Gettîng to work

vî

1 14 32 48 66 82 98 114

127 145 161

Acknowledgements

Whîe wrîtîng thîs book, I became very î. Ater havîng Covîd-19 în March 2020, I spent most o that year în bed, too weak to get up, struggîng to thînk, and struggîng to wrîte. Thîs perîod o îness meant that thîs book coud ony be wrîtten în îts and spurts; a ew sentences one day, a paragraph or so the next. Thîs means that thîs îs a sîghty dîerent book than the book I had îmagîned ît woud be. Despîte thîs, I hope ît îves up to the promîse o theory, o what theory can andshoulddo – take what îs assumed to be natura, îxed, însurmountabe and show ît as contîngent, mutabe, and surmountabe. In short, that most undamenta prerequîsîte or actîon, hope. Hope or better work, hope agaînst work as we know ît, hope or a better word. When I was î, I saw quîte how much peope wanted to care or each other and how much those desîres or care were rustrated by the way our socîety îs set up. Ater an înîtîa (and împressîve) urry o mutua aîd actîvîty, oder patterns estab- îshed themseves. Rather than coectîve, transormatîve eort, the contînuance o day-to-day îe was secured through unpaîd women’s work în the home, and by poory paîd servîce and ogîstîcs work outsîde o ît; the more thîngs change, the more they stay the same. We mîght be wary o makîng caîms about what peope are undamentay îke, but ît îs strîkîng how much eort îs requîred to înterrupt the kîndness and care that peope desperatey want to share wîth each other. Wîth that în mînd, thanks are due to those rîends and comrades who supported me wîth so much care, and în partîcuar

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

to Gabrîe (Constantîn) Mehme, Hareem Ghanî, Huda Emî, Martha Perotto-Wîs, Jenny Kîîn and Sean O’Neî. Specîa thanks are due to those who read, commented on and vasty împroved drats o chapters: Daîsy Porter, Freddîe Seae, James Eîott, James Greîg, Josh Gabert-Doyon, Orando Lazar, Neha Shah, Robert Maîsey, Sarra Facey, Sam Dobear, Stean Bayney and partîcuary to Lorna Fînayson. Any errors or omîssîons are my own. Thanks too to Neda Tehranî or patîence and care în edîtîng and support throughout the process o wrîtîng thîs book. And, to Rîchard, thank you or everythîng.

vîî

Introduction:Work’s fantasy

There’s a comortîng narratîve o progress about work: the bad od days o horrîbe jobs – o chîdren workîng în mînes, o cotton mîs, o workpace înjurîes, o crue bosses – are gone. Instead, the ony probem o work that we have et îs that not everyone has the rîght kînd o job or them, or that barrîers prevent partîcuar groups – women, peope o coour, dîsabed peope – rom accessîng partîcuar kînds o jobs. For many, though, the reaîty o contemporary work îs rather dîerent. Agaînst thîs narratîve o progress, we mîght îrst poînt to the contînued exîstence o hazardous work around the word. Whîe most o the extremey dangerous and hyper-expoîtatîve work în extractîve îndustrîes has been exported to the Goba South, în the Goba North there are persîstent probems o î heath and poor condîtîons assocîated wîth work, and many exampes o tyrannîca bosses exercîsîng arbîtrary power over theîr empoyees. In Brîtaîn, there were at east 1.4 mîîon workers 1 suerîng rom work-reated î heath în 2018/19. Whîe the number o peope who become î because o work had been decreasîng or many years, ît brîey încreased în the wake o the 2008 înancîa crîsîs and has pateaued sînce. The Covîd-19 crîsîs has shown that rîsk o harm to heath at work îs not eveny dîstrîbuted. Whîe the ack o PPE, ong hours, and oensîvey ow pay that NHS workers aced

1 https://hse.gov.uk/statîstîcs/causdîs/îndex.htm (ast accessed December 2020).

1