Digital, Class, Work: Before and During Covid-19

The book explores how COVID-19 has impacted the digital labor process, changing and strengthening neoliberal and financialized class relations in the digital workplace. It examines five distinctive digital labor and work processes, mapping out degrees of class struggle in and around exploitation, oppression, and emancipatory potential.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2022
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

This comprehensive book delves into the profound impact of COVID-19 on the digital labor process, offering a comprehensive analysis that situates it within the broader framework of neoliberalism and financialization. By examining the intricate interplay between these two powerful forces, the book sheds light on how COVID-19 has both altered and reinforced neoliberal and financialized class relations within the digital workplace. Through a rigorous exploration of Marxist theory and a wealth of empirical studies, the book delves into these critical areas, both pre- and post-COVID-19, with a specific focus on five distinct digital labor and work processes. These include global productive digital work processes in sectors such as manufacturing, unproductive digital work in retail and finance, creative industries, gig and platform work, and digital work in the state and public sector. Moreover, the book meticulously maps out the varying degrees of class struggle that exist within the digital workplace, encompassing exploitation, oppression, and the potential for emancipatory outcomes. This insightful examination provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of the digital labor market and offers valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that arise in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399502931