Critique démocratique du travail

Abstract

The evolutions of the productive activities during the past three decades have not only shifted the borders of the extension and intension of the concept of labour, but also moved the boundaries between the domains of work and democracy. In order to grasp this relation, a democratic criticism of work can rely on the psycho-sociological analysis of the way democratic norms are being elaborated in the firm, within the activity and by means of the contestation of the neomanagerial organization of work. This analysis leads to reactualize the thesis of the political centrality of work, according to which the control of work is the central stake of the political activity of transforming social relations. Such a democratic criticism of work can finally shed some light on one of the main conditions in order to democratize work : the extension of the institutional status of the worker that would make his political rights coextensive with the democratic rights of citizens.

Keywords

• politics
• democracy
• work
• Centrality of work
• firm