Work: Concepts, Images, Ideas
Symposium
School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
November 22-23, 2007
Program (pdf format)
Description
In the course of the transformation process from classical industrial societies to societies based on information, knowledge and services and the resulting shortage of work/labour that has been experienced in Western countries since the 1970s, the end of the “work society” has been announced (Jeremy Rifkin). For the societies affected by it, the process causes more than just economic difficulties. Not only the financial safety of the individuals laid off by the market has to be guaranteed. Furthermore and at a much more fundamental level, the question is how the erosion of identity concepts founded on the concept of work may be alleviated on both the individual and on the collective level. Twin concepts like work and play, work and leisure, work time and leisure time, as well as work and violence/war let us recognize how substantially social discourse is shaped through the concept of work/labour in almost every sphere. First and foremost, the range of issues connected to these processes requires exploration.
In order to provide the social discourse with a deeper dimension we suggest the investigation of the cultural status inherent to the concept of work in a diachronic perspective. Because of their theoretical and methodological bases it is only the modern cultural studies which are able to provide such an analysis. Several aspects should be taken into consideration. Firstly, it is essential to ask: in which way is the modern concept of work/labour presented in different cultural spheres and media? When and how does “work” become a topic in literature and the fine arts? When and how does “work” become a subject of research in the disciplines of economy, sociology, law, political studies as well as in education and psychology? Furthermore: which effects does the concept of work/labour have on the conceptualization of the spheres and media themselves? For instance: in which way do the concepts of research, literature and fine arts change in a social discourse progressively shaped by the concept of work/labour? Finally: what are the effects on the concepts of research, literature and fine arts when the cultural status of work/labour changes in the way currently experienced? The planned symposium will contribute to exploring these matters in terms of these highly volatile complexes of problems in society from the perspectives of different disciplines.
Dr. Franz-Josef Deiters, Dr. Stefanie Everke Buchanan, Dr. Axel Fliethmann, Dr. Christiane Weller
For further information please contact Franz-Josef.Deiters@arts.monash.edu.au