Abstract
Abstract This article draws on interviews, observations, and surveys from two mixed-methods sociological studies of people's relationships to paid and unpaid work to argue that the concept of the work ethic is a fruitful entrypoint for exploring critical issues of work, leisure and consumption in rural places, and indeed anywhere there are efforts to realize degrowth strategies. Then, I survey some of the major themes about work in a selection of widely-cited degrowth writings and argue that the work ethic could use more attention—particularly the question of how the dominant work ethic at any place and time might constrain or enable degrowth as a political-ecological aspiration. This question is actually a hopeful one, because it suggests that in-depth studies of instances where something other than the Protestant, capitalist (i.e. expansion-oriented) work ethic dominates can (and already do!) show us the kinds of culturally-embedded relationships to work that are complimentary to a degrowth agenda. Moreover, such studies show that alternative modes of working are viable. In other words, sociological and anthropological studies can provide empirical evidence that vibrant, meaningful human life can continue in the absence of constant economic growth. Keywords: Degrowth, employment, work, work ethic, sociology, anthropology, rural
Highlights
A man does not 'by nature' wish to earn more and more money, but to live as he is accustomed to live and to earn as much as is necessary for that purpose
Are forced to adapt to, economies that do not continuously grow—that is, produce and consume more commodities—what will this do to waged work, social reproduction, care work and "autonomous" (Gorz 1999) provisioning? If we accept that a continuation of the current growth-for-growth's-sake model is undesirable or impossible, these are inevitable questions
In-depth studies of places and times where something other than the Protestant, capitalist work ethic dominates can show us the kinds of culturally-embedded relationships to work that are complimentary to a degrowth agenda, and at the same time show that they are viable
Summary
A man does not 'by nature' wish to earn more and more money, but to live as he is accustomed to live and to earn as much as is necessary for that purpose. Wherever modern capitalism has begun its work of increasing the productivity of human labor by increasing its intensity, it has encountered the immensely stubborn resistance of this leading trait of precapitalistic labor. Today it encounters it the more, the more backward (from a capitalistic point of view) the laboring forces are with which it has to deal. Some visions of degrowth societies or economies contemplate a redistribution of work time, so that people (on average) are "working less" in paid jobs and, relatedly, "consuming less" (Latouche 2010: 9). Sociological and anthropological studies can provide empirical evidence that vibrant, meaningful human life can continue in the absence of constant economic growth
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