{"product_id":"the-critique-of-work-in-modern-french-thought-from-charles-fourier-to-guy-debord-hardcover","title":"The Critique of Work in Modern French Thought: From Charles Fourier to Guy Debord - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlastair Hemmens\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is work? Why do we do it? Since time immemorial the answer to these questions, from both the left and the right, has been that work is both a natural necessity and, barring exploitation, a social good. One might criticise its management, its compensation and who benefits from it the most, but never work itself, never work \u003ci\u003eas such\u003c\/i\u003e. In this book, Alastair Hemmens seeks to challenge these received ideas. Drawing on the new 'critique-of-value' school of Marxian critical theory, Hemmens demonstrates that capitalism and its final crisis cannot be properly understood except in terms of the historically specific and socially destructive character of labour. It is from this radical perspective that Hemmens turns to an innovative critical analysis of the rich history of radical French thinkers who, over the past two centuries, have challenged the labour form head on: from the utopian-socialist Charles Fourier, who called for the abolition of the separation between work and play, and Marx's wayward son-in-law, Paul Lafargue, who demanded \u003ci\u003eThe Right to Laziness\u003c\/i\u003e (1880), to the father of Surrealism, André Breton, who inaugurated a 'war on work', and, of course, the French Situationist, Guy Debord, author of the famous graffito, 'never work'. Ultimately, Hemmens considers normative changes in attitudes to work since the 1960s and the future of anti-capitalist social movements today. This book will be a crucial point of reference for contemporary debates about labour and the anti-work tradition in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat is work? Why do we do it? Since time immemorial the answer to these questions, from both the left and the right, has been that work is both a natural necessity and, barring exploitation, a social good. One might criticise its management, its compensation and who benefits from it the most, but never work itself, never work \u003ci\u003eas such\u003c\/i\u003e. In this book, Alastair Hemmens seeks to challenge these received ideas. Drawing on the new 'critique-of-value' school of Marxian critical theory, Hemmens demonstrates that capitalism and its final crisis cannot be properly understood except in terms of the historically specific and socially destructive character of labour. It is from this radical perspective that Hemmens turns to an innovative critical analysis of the rich history of radical French thinkers who, over the past two centuries, have challenged the labour form head on: from the utopian-socialist Charles Fourier, who called for the abolition of the separation between work and play, and Marx's wayward son-in-law, Paul Lafargue, who demanded \u003ci\u003eThe Right to Laziness\u003c\/i\u003e (1880), to the father of Surrealism, André Breton, who inaugurated a 'war on work', and, of course, the French Situationist, Guy Debord, author of the famous graffito, 'never work'. Ultimately, Hemmens considers normative changes in attitudes to work since the 1960s and the future of anti-capitalist social movements today. This book will be a crucial point of reference for contemporary debates about labour and the anti-work tradition in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlastair Hemmens\u003c\/b\u003e is Honorary Research Fellow in French at Cardiff University School of Modern Languages, UK. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 226\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 8.27 x 5.83 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 08, 2019\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51794704138528,"sku":"9783030125851","price":161.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/efd953a3d4071abd47cf1bc9d8266f3e.webp?v=1780731456","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-critique-of-work-in-modern-french-thought-from-charles-fourier-to-guy-debord-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}