What We Mean when We Say… New Politics of Solidarity: Freedom from Work
Author(s) Miloš Kovačević Publisher Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade Institute for Democratic Engagement Southeast Europe, Belgrade Published 2022 ISBN 978-86-82324-07-2 Pages 14 Edition Square
The main question in What We Mean When We Say… New Politics of Solidarity: Freedom from Work is: how can we decommodify labor in a sustainable and just way without repeating the mistakes of the old-school Left? In order to do that, the authors employ a degrowth paradigm. Within this alternate theoretical framework, the integration of nature and society is understood opposite to the dominant productivist paradigm, according to which more is always better. The first part of the publication outlines the relationship between work and the economy that is needed in order for the Earth to become a safe and just place for all. The second explains how the commodification of labor affects the environment, the freedom of workers and valorization of different types of work. Finally, universal basic services are explored as a novel idea that has the potential to redefine the welfare state and fundamentally change the way we understand work.