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Work: The Last 1,000 Years
Tracing the complexity and contradictory nature of work throughout history
Say the word “work,” and most people think of some form of gainful employment. Yet this limited definition has never corresponded to the historical experience of most people—whether in colonies, developing countries, or the industrialized world.
That gap between common assumptions and reality grows even more pronounced in the case of women and other groups excluded from the labour market.
In this important intervention, Andrea Komlosy demonstrates that popular understandings of work have varied radically in different ages and countries. Looking at labour history around the globe from the thirteenth to the twenty-first centuries, Komlosy sheds light on both discursive concepts as well as the concrete coexistence of multiple forms of labour—paid and unpaid, free and unfree. From the economic structures and ideological mystifications surrounding work in the Middle Ages, all the way to European colonialism and the industrial revolution, Komlosy’s narrative adopts a distinctly global and feminist approach, revealing the hidden forms of unpaid and hyper-exploited labour which often go ignored, yet are key to the functioning of the capitalist world-system.
The Last 1,000 Years will open readers’ eyes to an issue much thornier and more complex than most people imagine, one which will be around as long as basic human needs and desires exist.
Say the word “work,” and most people think of some form of gainful employment. Yet this limited definition has never corresponded to the historical experience of most people—whether in colonies, developing countries, or the industrialized world.
That gap between common assumptions and reality grows even more pronounced in the case of women and other groups excluded from the labour market.
In this important intervention, Andrea Komlosy demonstrates that popular understandings of work have varied radically in different ages and countries. Looking at labour history around the globe from the thirteenth to the twenty-first centuries, Komlosy sheds light on both discursive concepts as well as the concrete coexistence of multiple forms of labour—paid and unpaid, free and unfree. From the economic structures and ideological mystifications surrounding work in the Middle Ages, all the way to European colonialism and the industrial revolution, Komlosy’s narrative adopts a distinctly global and feminist approach, revealing the hidden forms of unpaid and hyper-exploited labour which often go ignored, yet are key to the functioning of the capitalist world-system.
The Last 1,000 Years will open readers’ eyes to an issue much thornier and more complex than most people imagine, one which will be around as long as basic human needs and desires exist.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
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705 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 4, 2018
Fascinating subject but very dry writing - I was relieved to finish this book and question why I persevered with it to the end. I would recommend it as a reference book for those writing academically on the subject, but not for general consumption.
May 23, 2018
There are many ways to write a history of a broad topic like work, family, rivers, etc. Sometimes an author has a given philosophy that underpins their use of facts and data as well as their interpretation of them. This is rather clearly a marxist approach to the subject of work and while I'm very glad that the author, Andrea Komlosy, didn't hide this fact, some people might automatically reject a book for such an approach. Every theory will have limitations and strengths and this is a good example of both.
I appreciated how the book is organized and that Komlosy takes care to explain terms and the data she uses. However it was a rather dry read making this most accessible to someone interested in the topic beyond the layperson level. This good be a good book to use in a college course where it is merely one of several theories used to compare similar information.
I felt Komlosy also did a good job of being inclusive of the different groups of people affected by changes in the idea and implementation of work. Among those groups are various economic and land owning categories, ethnic and racial groups, and gender categories. Yes, the focus is primarily on Europe but much of the previous scholarship on this subject and related subjects have been on Europe so I do not think it is a fair criticism of this book to say it is too Eurocentric.
The bulk of the book is chapter 6, "Historical Cross-sections." However, while I understand the need to start somewhere, I had several disagreements with some of the statements about 1250; many of the institutions can be found earlier in Europe. Even without the bulk of surviving literature from the previous eras, I do think that continuity was there to a greater degree. Later period of European history I am not as knowledgable in to judge.
I appreciated how the book is organized and that Komlosy takes care to explain terms and the data she uses. However it was a rather dry read making this most accessible to someone interested in the topic beyond the layperson level. This good be a good book to use in a college course where it is merely one of several theories used to compare similar information.
I felt Komlosy also did a good job of being inclusive of the different groups of people affected by changes in the idea and implementation of work. Among those groups are various economic and land owning categories, ethnic and racial groups, and gender categories. Yes, the focus is primarily on Europe but much of the previous scholarship on this subject and related subjects have been on Europe so I do not think it is a fair criticism of this book to say it is too Eurocentric.
The bulk of the book is chapter 6, "Historical Cross-sections." However, while I understand the need to start somewhere, I had several disagreements with some of the statements about 1250; many of the institutions can be found earlier in Europe. Even without the bulk of surviving literature from the previous eras, I do think that continuity was there to a greater degree. Later period of European history I am not as knowledgable in to judge.
August 4, 2019
Een onmisbaar overzicht voor iedereen die zich afvraagt waarom in godsnaam ze maandagochtend in een meeting zitten over strategische doelstellingen en hun SEO-vertaling.
November 21, 2020
Un libro accademico, non di facile lettura ma ricco di informazioni. Offre un quadro della Natura del Lavoro attraverso una serie di “quadri” radicati nel 1250, 1500, 1700, 1800, 1900 e ai giorni nostri. Analizza la storia del lavoro da un punto di vista storiografico ed economico, distintamente marxista. Ma offre un’ottima prospettiva globale.
September 15, 2021
Obtained on sale as a free digital copy from Verso Books, an awesome company. Took me a while to start and a while to finish!
It delivered as promised, an explanation of the different kinds of work throughout the last 1,000 years and it was interesting to see how human labor has always been exploited. It was a bit of a dry read but it was also translated from another language. It was factual and enlightening although not a fun read. I did enjoy getting a better historical context to the systems that we have now.
It delivered as promised, an explanation of the different kinds of work throughout the last 1,000 years and it was interesting to see how human labor has always been exploited. It was a bit of a dry read but it was also translated from another language. It was factual and enlightening although not a fun read. I did enjoy getting a better historical context to the systems that we have now.
November 27, 2020
A bit hard to read in a way that it's hard to read without feeling plain and dry in the writing. But, it's a pretty comprehensive book to understand what Work means for us and it's place in the Anthropocene. Hard to finish but worth the time.
September 14, 2018
A more academic study than I expected, and ended up skipping over the large portion of the historical matter in the middle, though I really enjoyed the front and end chapters.
January 29, 2020
A fantastic overview of the topic. I would recommend it as a read for academic study/reference.
June 1, 2020
Reads a lot like a dissertation. Not a book I would recommend if you don't already have at least some background in the subject area, it is incredibly dense in places. Can be useful as a reference.
November 11, 2020
Interesting book. Not an easy read, but it's not that long either.
May 24, 2021
The book is utterly fascinating and mind blowing but it’s rather dry written ,that’s why it took me a while to finish it however will still recommend.
January 26, 2023
Definitely not a primer on the subject. Also the writing is dense. Will reread.
September 3, 2023
I liked the structure. The writing started out strong but became too abstract by the end.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews