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Labour in Contemporary Capitalism

What Next?

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Provides a fully integrated sociological, political, economic and gendered analysis of virtual work
  • Presents a broad-ranging and interdisciplinary overview of the latest developments in digital and virtual labour
  • Links developments in the sphere of production to those in the spheres of consumption and reproduction, as well as drawing out the policy implications for virtual work

Part of the book series: Dynamics of Virtual Work (DVW)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vii
  2. Introduction

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 1-14
  3. Labour In and Out of Capitalism

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 15-32
  4. The Dynamics of Capitalist Development

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 33-45
  5. Creative Work Under Capitalism

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 79-106
  6. Commodification of Public Services

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 107-120
  7. Commodification of Housework

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 121-139
  8. What Next?

    • Ursula Huws
    Pages 141-166
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 167-188

About this book

In this long-awaited book, Ursula Huws brings together the results of decades of prescient research on labour market transformation to provide an authoritative overview of the impacts of technological, economic, social and political change on working life in the 21st century.


Placing current upheavals in global labour markets firmly in their historical context, she debunks myths about the impacts of artificial intelligence on labour, pointing to the processes whereby new employment is created, as well as old jobs destroyed, while never underestimating the contradictory impacts of digitalisation on work organisation, resistance, adaption and innovation.


This book is underpinned by a clear conceptual framework, that analyses the dynamics of the restructuring of capitalism and labour, taking full account of unpaid social reproductive work, and integrating a feminist analysis whilst also pointing to new forms of commodification that will shape the future. Labour in Contemporary Capitalism will be an invaluable resource and point of reference for students and scholars studying the sociology of labour, economic structures, technology, and globalisation.  

Reviews

“Drawing on decades of research, including statistical analysis, surveys, case studies and numerous interviews, Labour in Contemporary Capitalism: What next? traces the interaction of technological change with capital and labour from the industrial revolution to the most recent digital technologies and online platforms. A very useful typology of labour enables the author to examine transformations in every facet of life, including reproductive and creative labour. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of work!” (Rohini Hensman is an independent scholar, activist and author, her most recent book being Indefensible: Democracy, Counterrevolution and the Rhetoric of Anti-Imperialism (2018))

 

Authors and Affiliations

  • Hertfordshire Business School, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK

    Ursula Huws

About the author

Ursula Huws is Professor of Labour and Globalisation at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Labour in Contemporary Capitalism

  • Book Subtitle: What Next?

  • Authors: Ursula Huws

  • Series Title: Dynamics of Virtual Work

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52042-5

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-52040-1Published: 15 May 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-70504-7Due: 16 May 2016

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-52042-5Published: 04 May 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2947-9290

  • Series E-ISSN: 2947-9304

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: VII, 188

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Sociology of Work, Organizational Studies, Economic Sociology, Research Methodology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access