Structuralist analysis in contemporary social thought : A Comparison of the theories of Claude Levi-Strauss and Louis Althusse

Londonxiii, 197 p.; 22 c

Silenced by Law: the Cautionary Tale of Women on the Line

This chapter reflects on a very particular silencing of the research process: legally imposed restrictions on publication. It takes the form of a cautionary tale and is based on my personal experience of attempting to publish a book on women’s work at the height of the Women’s Movement in Britain. Various forms of silencing affect feminist research, emanating from diverse and differing sources, as demonstrated by other contributions to this volume. Some silences arise internally from with the research process itself while others impinge on it from the outside. Some are self-imposed by researchers, others are not. While some of these restrictions are gendered, or affect feminist more than other kinds of research, others are not gendered. My story is one of an explicitly feminist investigation, silenced by the externally imposed power of law as refracted through the world of publishing. Although the constraints were not in themselves gendered, they nevertheless have implications for particular forms of feminist research

Microsoft Word - CWP-2013-03

Abstract: This paper argues that the work of consumers is a significant and constantly developing field of work, and proposes a conceptual framework for understanding consumption work as part of the division of labour. The labour associated with consumption is not new, but has been rapidly expanding in recent years as a consequence of both socio-economic change and technical innovation. Few goods or services are delivered 'complete' to consumers in the sense of being ready for use without further activity, yet the role of consumers in completing a system of provision is rarely acknowledged in theories of either work or consumption. Recognition of the interdependence between the work undertaken prior to and after the purchase of goods and services problematises any assumption that all post-purchase activity comprises consumption and calls for a conception of the division of labour that extends from the market and world of paid employment to encompass also the usually unpaid labour of the end user. Consumption work is defined as 'all work undertaken by consumers necessary for the purchase, use, re-use and disposal of consumption goods'. Its key characteristics are delineated using examples from everyday life, and the approach towards it is distinguished from the practices and theories of consumption, domestic labour, and co-production/prosumption. The paper draws on current international comparative research in three socio-economic fields of activity (the work of food preparation, the installation of broadband and household recycling of waste) to illustrate its main arguments and explore the varieties of consumption work, their shaping by prevailing systems of provision, and their place within the division of labour

Gendered economies of time : women workers in North-West England

Digitised version produced by the EUI Library and made available online in 2020

Household Recycling and Consumption Work - Social and Moral Economies

Recycling is high on the global economic agenda, with governments across the world pledging increases in their recycling rates. However, success in reaching targets often relies on the input and effort of the household and consumer. This comparative study of household recycling in Sweden and England shows that by sorting their waste, consumers perform an integral role in the overall division of labour within waste management processes. 'Consumption work' has not been systematically explored as a distinctive form of labour, and this book argues that treating it seriously requires revision of the conventional approach to the division of labour. Exploring the shaping of this 'consumption work' by systems of provision and moral economies, Wheeler and Glucksmann reveal how consumers are differentially persuaded to contribute to recycling schemes