Life and Labour: Contested Occupation and Meaningful Alienation - Hardcover

 
9781529242539: Life and Labour: Contested Occupation and Meaningful Alienation
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1529242533 ISBN 13: 9781529242539
Publisher: Bristol University Press, 2026

Synopsis

What makes human activity meaningful?

This book explores how social, economic and political forces have shaped the meaning of ‘occupation’ throughout history. Tracing the shift from industrial capitalism’s division of ‘work’ and ‘life,’ it analyses how movements for gender equality, labour rights, decolonization and disability activism have contested what is considered meaningful. From the trade union fight for shorter hours to the feminist reimagining of domestic labour, the book examines the struggles over who defines occupation and for whose benefit.

With case studies by activist scholars, this provocative book reveals how conflicts are central to shaping modern social relations.

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About the Authors

Maria Giatsi Clausen is Senior Lecturer in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a trade union representative with University and College Union.

Eurig Scandrett is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Public Sociology at Queen Margaret University, and an activist in University and College Union Scotland.

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Publisher
Bristol University Press
Publication date
2026
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1529242533
ISBN 13 
9781529242539
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
254
Editor
Giatsi Clausen Maria, Scandrett Eurig