New Philosophies of Labour ─ Work and the Social Bond

Hegel's master-slave dialectic in his Phenomenology of Spirit is about a social bond grounded in the paradoxically liberatory work done by the slave for the master. This collection of essays thirteen essays, which starts with an editorial introduction by Smith and Deranty (philosophy, Macquarie U.), takes Hegel as a key interlocutor for exploring the sociality of labor, especially under capitalism. The essays are organized into four sections, the first of which contextualizes labor in Hegel writing on recognition and in post-Hegelian critical theory. Then they explore and critique norms in contemporary work, underscoring their often invisible political significance. The third section concerns work and subjectivity, delving into the psychodynamics and psychopathology of work, as well as caring as a form of work. The last and longest section directly addresses capitalism and the forms of work and sociality that constitute it. Some of the problems dealt with this final section concern alienation, recognition, marketization, and Fordist labor-management. The writing is clear, but requires some knowledge of Hegel. The contributors are European and Australian professors of economics, philosophy, (organizational) sociology, social psychology and psychoanalysis. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Nicholas H. Smith is Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on hermeneutics and critical social theory, including Strong Hermeneutics (1997) and Charles Taylor (2002). Jean-Philippe Deranty is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on critical social theory, including Beyond Communication. A Critical Study of Axel Honneth's Social Philosophy (Brill 2009).