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Critical Approaches to Precarity: Work, Subjectivities and Movements. 2021

Chair: Joseph Choonara (University of Leicester)
Speakers: Agniezka Piasna (European Trade Union Institute), Renato Miguel do Carmo (Instituto Universitário de Lisbon), Annalisa Murgia (University of Milan)

The terms precarity/precariousness have emerged as prominent categories in discussions of contemporary work and employment and the transformation of social conditions and subjectivities. The existing volumes on precarious work tend to emerge from distinctive political and scholarly traditions. The great advantage of this collection is its presentation of contrasting as well as complementary approaches to the contemporary processes of precarization. In particular, the collection presents a breadth of conceptualisations of precarious work, offering a range of distinctive, critical perspectives. As such, the collection can be of interest to both academics and activists seeking to adopt a critical stance towards contemporary social conditions and to understand the myriad ways in which precarious work have come to assume such an important place in contemporary discussions. The authors represent different traditions and disciplines, come from different generations and geographies, and offer differing approaches and insights. The first section of the collection demonstrates how scholars and social movements have mapped out, in distinctive ways, the conceptual landscape evoked by the notions of precarity/precariousness. The second one allows authors to deploy these concepts to offer substantive analyses of contemporary developments. The third section focuses on the forms of mobilisation and resistance that have emerged in recent decades to fight precarious work and its consequences.