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A ‘Post‐Work’ World: Geographical Engagements with the Future of Work
Author(s) -
MacLeavy Julie,
Lapworth Andrew
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the political quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.373
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1467-923X
pISSN - 0032-3179
DOI - 10.1111/1467-923x.12785
Subject(s) - work (physics) , telos , scholarship , sociology , futures contract , norm (philosophy) , capitalism , boundary work , inequality , domestic work , precarity , unpaid work , social science , political science , gender studies , economic growth , epistemology , politics , economics , law , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , philosophy , mathematics , financial economics , engineering
This article reviews geographical research on labour market changes that pose a challenge to ‘work’ as a compelling category of analysis. Drawing inspiration from feminist scholarship that has sought to develop a frame for thinking about the concept of work so that other activities outside employment are recognised, it considers what everyday practices of work, including domestic and reproductive labour, can teach us about the realities and futures of contemporary capitalism. While ‘work’ has long served as a presumed norm or telos of ‘development’, this article considers the prospect of the ‘end of work’ and of a specific type of accompanying capitalist society. It outlines the challenges for policy making in bringing forth a ‘post‐work’ world without cementing social and economic inequality.