The paradoxical centrality of labour: Two challenges for a critical sociology

Abstract

Combating the de-problematisation of work and reclaiming the intellectual attention and socio-theoretical interest in the (re)production of social life guide this text on the occasion of the “20 years, 20 social issues, 20 articles” Commemorative Edition of the Configurações journal. The necessity for a social theory that updates the paradoxical centrality of work is part of a debate that extends beyond the techno-deterministic, optimistic or pessimistic perspectives that have been prevalent in recent decades. In light of the paradoxical centrality of work and its future in an increasingly mediated environment through digital platforms, algorithms and recursive subjectivities, two challenges are posed for a critical sociology of work.