The power imbalance between capital and labor is a fundamental force that causes and exacerbates structural inequalities. Labor struggles are symptomatic of the fault lines in digital capitalism. As capital’s power continues to grow through digitalization, datafication, and financialization, questions about changes to the content, form, and nature of work in capitalism have animated scholarly inquiries over the past few decades. Meanwhile, labor organizing across industries worldwide aims to challenge the power imbalance between labor and capital, informing knowledge production in labor studies and providing insights into new forms of labor solidarity and collectivization. This working group is galvanized by a shared research interest in digital labor studies. We recognize the urgency of developing new approaches to knowledge production, research methodology, and praxis to address the fault lines within digital capitalism and bridge the artificial division between academic labour and the world of (digital) labour. We plan both to revisit major theoretical breakthroughs from the past four decades related to digital capitalism, the (re)composition of the working class, the knowledge and creative economy, and the history of automation, and to connect theories with the praxis of digital labor by engaging with non-academic community members, such as worker-led collectives and artists. Through community engagement, we aim to connect with their means of knowledge production and creative expressions, and we hope to identify viable ways for our research to make meaningful contributions to these communities. To request to join the group, email the group lead linked in the list.
Lead
- Julie Chen, UTM Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology
Faculty Members, University of Toronto
- Priyank Chandra, Information
- Nicole Cohen, ICCIT
- Alessandro Delfani, ICCIT
- Rachel Grohmann, UTSC Arts Culture & Media
- Vera Khovanskaya, Information
Faculty Members Outside University of Toronto
- Hannah Johnston, School of Human Resources, York University
Graduate Students, University of Toronto
- Hiu Fung Chung, Information
- Youngrong Lee, Sociology
- Kaushar Mahetaji, Information
- Ashique Ali Thuppilikkat, Information