Specialised Themes
Thèmes Spécialisés

13. Changing boundaries and definitions of work over time and space
(included slavery and other forms of unfree labour)
13. Évolution des formes et des définitions du travail dans le temps et dans l'espace
(y compris esclavage et travail forcé)

Wednesday, 9 August, 14:00-17:00
Mercredi 9 août de 14h à 17h

Building C, Auditorium 1

Organiser:
Jürgen Kocka, Germany

Discussants:
Gro Hagemann, Norway
Eric Vanhaute, Belgium

Introduction:
It is the aim of the section to explore the changing meaning of work in a broad comparative perpective over the last centuries. The single papers deal with diferent topics. But they will discuss five general points:

1. Which are the dominant definitions of work? Is there at all a general concept for "work", "arbeit", "travail"? How is the borderline defined between work and non-work? In other words: Which are opposite concepts to work? Wich are the uses of the concepts, by whom and which pratical constellations? How does the concept of work cange over time, and presumably why? Are there influences between cultures and countries? What about the role of colonialism and imperialism?

2. Which is the relative place of work within the life of individuals and families? How does work influence the self understanding of peple, the life courses, the individual identies? Which is the relative place of work in the specific culture/society? Relative to other values other sources of status, other sources of power? How can we describe the relation between work and non-work in categories of time and space, relative to non-work, both within singhle biographies and within specific cultures? How does this change over time and presumably, why? Are there influences between cultures and countries? Which is the role of colonialism and imperialism?

3. Which are the relations between work-place and family/household? Did they constitute distinct spheres or not? The role of gender should be considered.

4. What can one say with respect to the relation of work and knowledge? How are the dominant patterns of work influenced by changes in the sphere of knowledge? How do patterns of work correlate with patterns of learning, qualification and socialization?

5. Which role does work play with respect to the sociabilitè, the bonding, the vergesellschaftung of people? Which role does work play as a condition of collective action, as a source of interest formation and group formation? Which role does work play with respect to the cohesion and tensions of the society at large?

To download a pdf-file, you need the programme Adobe Acrobat Reader, it is free and can be downloaded from www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html

Papers:

• Catharina Lis/Hugo Soly, Belgium
  A Historical Perspective on Work: What is honourable, meaningful and useful?
• Irina Suponitskaja, Russia
  American Slave and Russian Serf: Typology and Specifics of Unfree Labour
• Toshiko Himeoka, Japan
  Work and Gender in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Japanese Examples in a Comparative Perspective
• Richard Biernacki, USA
  The Commodification of Intellectual Labour: Germany and Britain at the Dawn of Commercial Society
• Tirthanakar Roy, India
  Conceptualizing Labour in Traditional Industry: Evidence from India
• Bénédicte Zimmermann, France
  Du travail au Chômage: Éléments pour la Genèse d'une Catégorie Sociale
• Klaus Tenfelde, Germany
  Work, Communication, and the Formation of Solidarity in Large-scale Factories, 19th and 20th centuries
• Mahmadou Diawara/Issaie Dougnon, Mali
  Du "travail du Noir" au "travail du Blanc": concepts et conceptions des peuples du pays dogon émigrés à l'Office du Niger à partir des années 1930

Specialised Theme 12 Thème Spécialisé 12	Specialised Themes	Thèmes Spécialisés	Specialised Theme 14 Thème Spécialisé 14