The Refusal of Work: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work - Softcover

Frayne, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783601175 ISBN 13: 9781783601172

Publisher: Zed Books Ltd, 2015

Synopsis

Paid work is absolutely central to the culture and politics of capitalist societies, yet today s work-centred world is becoming increasingly hostile to the human need for autonomy, spontaneity and community. The grim reality of a society in which some are overworked, whilst others are condemned to intermittent work and unemployment, is progressively more difficult to tolerate. In this thought-provoking book, David Frayne questions the central place of work in mainstream political visions of the future, laying bare the ways in which economic demands colonise our lives and priorities. Drawing on his original research into the lives of people who are actively resisting nine-to-five employment, Frayne asks what motivates these people to disconnect from work, whether or not their resistance is futile, and whether they might have the capacity to inspire an alternative form of development, based on a reduction and social redistribution of work. A crucial dissection of the work-centred nature of modern society and emerging resistance to it, The Refusal of Work is a bold call for a more humane and sustainable vision of social progress.

About this title

Review

This is the most engaging and comprehensive book I ve ever read about how work dominates our lives. It is insightful and inspiring and should be read by everyone who goes to work every day, if they can find the time. --Sharon Beder, author of Selling the Work Ethic

A humane reassessment of the ethics of work which will appeal to anyone who has wondered whether the job they are fighting so hard to get, or to hold on to, really is worth the struggle. At its heart lies the provocative and sometimes poignant accounts of those individuals who may be showing the way towards an engagement with work which is better for all of us. --Ralph Fevre, author of The Demoralization of Western Culture and Trouble at Work

A well-written romp through theory and critiques of work... Amid the hard-¬work rhetoric, this book feels liberating and a worthy provocation. --Financial Times

About the Author

David Frayne is a sociology teacher and social researcher, based at Cardiff University. His research interests are wide-ranging, but his main areas are social activism, consumer culture, the sociology of happiness, and radical perspectives on work. David is the author of several articles and has also written a chapter on critiques of work for the SAGE Handbook of the Sociology of Work and Employment. Twitter: @theworkdogma

Edition details

• Publisher: Zed Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1783601175
• ISBN 13: 9781783601172
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 280