Essential for what? A global social reproduction view on the re-organisation of work during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sara Stevano, Rosimina Ali, M. Jamieson
2020Canadian Journal of Development Studies/Revue canadienne d études du développement73 citationsDOIOpen Access PDF
Abstract
COVID-19 has shaken a foundational pillar of global capitalism: the organisation of work. A pivotal dimension of such re-organisation has been the classification of work as essential or not. This article explores the concept of essential work using a global feminist social reproduction perspective. We show that the meaning of essential work is more ambiguous and politicised than it may appear and, although it can be used as a basis to reclaim the value of socially reproductive work, its transformative potential hinges on the possibility to encompass the most precarious and transnational dimensions of (re)production.
Topics & Concepts
ReproductionTransformative learningWork (physics)SociologyMeaning (existential)PandemicCapitalismCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Perspective (graphical)Environmental ethicsValue (mathematics)Dimension (graph theory)EpistemologyPolitical scienceBiologyEcologyLawEngineeringMechanical engineeringPhilosophyArtificial intelligenceMedicineMachine learningPedagogyPoliticsInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseasePathologyComputer scienceMathematicsPure mathematicsEmployment and Welfare Studies