Life and Labour: Contested Occupation and Meaningful Alienation

What makes human activity meaningful?

This book explores how social, economic and political forces have shaped the meaning of ’occupation’ throughout history. Tracing the shift from industrial capitalism’s division of ’work’ and ’life, ’ it analyses how movements for gender equality, labour rights, decolonization and disability activism have contested what is considered meaningful. From the trade union fight for shorter hours to the feminist reimagining of domestic labour, the book examines the struggles over who defines occupation and for whose benefit.

With case studies by activist scholars, this provocative book reveals how conflicts are central to shaping modern social relations.

Maria Giatsi Clausen is Senior Lecturer in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a trade union representative with University and College Union.

Eurig Scandrett is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a trade union representative with University and College Union.