Novye Issledovaniâ Tuvy (Sep 2019)
The transformation of work in the postmodern world: resources for integrating ethnic work culture (the case of Tuva and Kalmykia)
Abstract
Neglected for quite a while, the topic of work/labor has now become relevant again. There is a growing interest in the problems which stem from the arrival of robotics, new automation and the use of digital technologies, such as the displacement of (live) productive labor, the blurring of the boundaries between work and leisure, the emergence of new forms of exploitation of workers and, consequently, precarity. These problems deserve scholarly attention. This article analyzes the issue of the transformations in the work sphere of the postmodern world, as well as the conditions and opportunities of integrating ethnic work culture of the Republics of Kalmykia and Tuva into the economy of postmodern society. Our analysis of the phenomenon of work in the post-Socialist world is methodologically based on the theory of precariat (G. Standing) and the theory of digital (platform) capitalism. For our study of Russian work culture, we also rely on J. Scott's theory of adapting traditional structures to modern society, as well as on concepts explaining the informal sector of the Russian economy. The article also shows how the work/labor model and way of working is changing under digital (platform) capitalism, where immaterial labor (M. Lazzarato) takes the form of digital labor: users create various content for free. The last section analyzes the problem of informal economy in Russia, of the models of work (such as wandering workers, garage workers, distributed manufactory, or work in remote settlements) spontaneously developed by the people adapting in various ways to the realities of market economy. It also describes the characteristics of the digital society in such ethnic regions as Kalmykia and Tuva. The article explains how some historically established features of the cattle breeding economy (lack of clear boundaries between work and leisure, the symbolic component of work, and management skills under economic uncertainty) can act as resources for integrating into postmodern economy.
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