Doctoral School

Labour, mobilisation and the politics of work

Target audience

This course is organized by PhD and postdoctoral students for researchers in social sciences, humanities, and non-social science disciplines. We extend a particularly warm invitation to economics and business students who are interested in exploring critical approaches to work/labor.

Organizing and scientific committee

Fayrouz Yousfi (Department of Conflict and Development Studies, UGent)

Dr. Allan Souza Queiroz (Department of Conflict and Development Studies, UGent)

Prof. Koenraad Bogaert (Department of Conflict and Development Studies, UGent)

Abstract

This doctoral course explores the interconnectedness between labour mobilisation and the rise of precarious jobs, informal contracts, and flexible working conditions. It will focus on providing PhD candidates with the necessary tools to research and analyse the world of paid and unpaid work. Stemming from an interdisciplinary approach, it will pay attention to a wide range of perspectives and methodologies regarding the politics of work and its various forms of resistance. The course will focus on ethnographic and participatory research methods in order to examine labour from a gender, class and race perspective.

Topic

This doctoral course invites PhD students to critically explore the identities and struggles of workers, emphasizing the importance of participatory research approaches. It challenges conventional views that marginalize workers and positions researchers as neutral observers, advocating instead for active participation in knowledge production. Amid a world dominated by neoliberal ideologies that exacerbate inequalities and erode workers' rights, this course seeks to refocus attention on workers' experiences and agency. More than just an academic pursuit, this course is committed to fostering research that is both academically rigorous and socially impactful, inspiring you to contribute to a more equal and democratic society.

This course will critically engage with work/labor by exploring the following key questions, among others:

  • How can we conduct intersectional research on the working class, and what contributions do feminist, classist, and anti-racist approaches offer?
  • What do participatory, movement-relevant, and activist research methodologies entail, and why should we use them?
  • How should we approach the politics of work in our research?
  • What are the key concerns and issues in research labor, as highlighted by ongoing research at Ghent University? Participant-led seminars will explore these questions.


The participant-led research workshop aims to create a collegial space where you can discuss your research projects/ideas/findings and receive feedback from your peers.

Objectives

  • Discuss the politics of work and resistance from interdisciplinary, intersectional and historical perspectives.
  • Understand the methodological and ethical consideration of research on the politics of work.
  • Examine how labour helps us to understand gender dynamics and how capitalist development impacted women's unpaid care work, including the devaluation, deskilling, and degradation of domestic and reproductive labour.
  • Investigate how the linkage between the global economy, transnational corporations and states impact the labour exploitation of women, disadvantaged, racial and ethnic groups on the ground.
  • Explore how labour mobilisation and working-class politics help us understand environmentalism and political ecology, clarifying the links between labour politics and sustainable and ecological transitions.
  • Explore ethnographic and participatory research methods, focusing on hands-on approaches that privilege the participation of social movements and civil society organisations in knowledge production.
  • Explore the linkages between labour research and activism within and beyond academia.
  • Provide training to help PhD researchers develop and present persuasive arguments and actively engage in interactive discussions.

Dates and venue

10-12 December 2024 (9h-18h)

Programme

View poster version

Day 1: Intersectional analysis of work: class, gender and race in and beyond the global workplace (10th of December)

  • Social reproduction and globalisation of production (Dr Alessandra Mezzadri, SOAS, UK)
  • In and Against the Ecological Crisis: Working-Class Environmentalism between Workplace and Community (Dr Lorenzo Feltrin, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – Geneva Graduate Institute, IT/CH)

Day 2: Participatory and movement-relevant research methods (11th of December)

  • Decolonial and Participatory Research Approaches: Beyond Methods (Dr Adriana Moreno-Cely, VUB, BE)
  • Movement-relevant research methods (Dr Levi Gahman, Liverpool University, UK)
  • Counter-mapping conventional geographies of work, production and value (Dr Katharina Grueneisl, University of Nottingham & Institut de Recherche sur le Maghreb Contemporain,
    UK/TU)

Day 3: Workers' research, activism and organising (12th of December)

  • Workers' inquiry and class composition (Dr Jamie Woodcock, Notes From Below/KCL, UK)
  • Reproductive labour and union organising in Belgium and Georgia (Dr Sigrid Vertommen, UGent & University of Amsterdam, BE/NL)
  • Participant-led research workshops (UGent Phd students)

Registration

Registration fee

Free of charge for Doctoral School members.

Number of participants

Maximum 30

Language

English

Teaching method

Masterclasses by invited speakers, workshop sessions, discussions and Q&A with participants. Reading material will also be provided. We anticipate a maximum of two readings per session.

Evaluation method

Participants will be assessed based on their attendance at all sessions and active participation in the discussions and workshops.

After successful participation, the Doctoral School Office will add this course to your curriculum of the Doctoral Training Programme in Oasis. Please note that this can take up to one to two months after completion of the course.