In this episode, we discuss Weeks' conceptual pairing of freedom and equality as a way to consider domination and subordination at work.

We talk about this using examples of employment contracts, gig work design, and roles with power and authority.

We also begin an exploration of traditional work values - a lengthy and layered topic that will continue in future episodes. This time, we consider how the shift from Liberal to Radical Feminist critiques in public discourse challenged traditional work values. Additionally, we consider how we have perceived the impact of work values within our separate areas of industry and expertise.

Art of the Episode Black Power Naps, by Sosa and Navild Acosta. This artwork took the form of an installation in 2023 at MOMA’s creativity lab and was called La Biblioteca is Open.

Question of the Episode

When do you experience a sense of autonomy in your work? Decision making? Scheduling? Work methods? What about competence? How do you get to demonstrate that competence? What about relatedness? For the area you feel is least represented - what is available to you to add to it?

Read more about Self-Determination Theory.

Works cited

Weeks, K. (2011). The Problem with Work. https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723

Gray, M. L., & Suri, S. (2019). Ghost Work: How to Stop Silicon Valley from Building a New Global Underclass. https://c2o-library.net/catalog/index.php?p=show_detail&id=6958&keywords=

Firestone, S. (1972). The Dialectic of Sex: The case for Feminist Revolution. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA20741946

Willis, E. (1984). Radical feminism and feminist radicalism. Social Text, 9/10, 91. https://doi.org/10.2307/466537

Blustein, D. L., Lysova, E. I., & Duffy, R. D. (2022). Understanding decent work and meaningful work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 289–314. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031921-024847

Cover artwork by Simone Hutsch from Unsplash.

Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

Inquires: [email protected]

In this episode of The Problem with Work, we introduce Kathi Weeks’ concept of ‘the work society’. We examine the interrelated ideas of social construction and reproduction through work, and identity via the categories of gender and class.

We discuss the usefulness of finding a name for work’s reach beyond the economic realm and into social and personal life. We talk about how this reach leads to the devaluation of ‘free’ (non-productive) time, and how that further produces classed individuals. We dive into to the dynamics through which work and work preparation (in training and education) reinforce gender norms and identities.

After this discussion, we present some personal insights on the work society and the (re)production of identity through work. We consider an Organisational Psychology take on identity and the strategic use of “in-group bias”. This practical analysis considers the challenge and opportunity of combining personal and professional identity. Reflecting upon the figure of the professional artist, and the idea of the migrant worker, we consider what ethical and political distortion can emerge from the eruption of work into other realms of life.

We close the episode, as customary, with the ‘Artwork of the Episode’, a work of art selected for its resonance with this episode’s key themes, and the ‘Question of the Episode’, something for you to reflect on until next time.

Works Cited:

• The Problem with Work, by Kathi Weeks (2011, Duke University Press, Durham and London).

• King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership - UK Gender Equality Index

• Job Switching, a sculptural dynamic installation by Nancy Daly. Daly is an artist based in Washington, DC. You can find more information about her work on her website.

Cover artwork by Simone Hutsch from Unsplash.

Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

Inquires: [email protected]

In this very first episode of The Problem with Work, we briefly introduce Kathi Weeks’ book after which this podcast is named and tell you a little about how our project came to be.

After a short introduction on our first encounter with this book, we present an overview of its two main parts:

• a critique of the status quo, described by the author as “anti-work critique”, and
• a constructive proposition for how we might reform work, namely Week’s “post-work invention”

After discussing some of the ideas that most grabbed our attention and what we hope to achieve through this podcast, we close the episode (as shall become customary) with the Artwork of the Episode, a work of art selected for its resonance with this episode’s key themes, and the Question of the Episode, something for you to reflect upon in relation to your own thoughts about 'work'.

This podcast is a discussion of the book The Problem with Work, by Kathi Weeks (2011, Duke University Press, Durham and London).

Artwork of the Episode: How to get out of bed and go to work, a poem by Darby Hudson, from his collection Working Nine Lives. Hudson is an artist and writer based in Melbourne. You can find Working Nine Lives and more of his work on his website https://www.darbyhudsonart.com/

Cover artwork by ⁠Simone Hutsch⁠ from Unsplash.

Music by Tech Oasis from Pixabay.

Inquires: [email protected]