Saturday, March 15, 2014
Calvert (Omni Shoreham)
The postsocialist modernization in Slovenia, led also by the EU accession policies, was followed by cultural and symbolic make over. Changes did not bring merely economic and political reforms but also social restructurings and symbolic reinscriptions, involving redefinition of workers’ subjectivities and citizenship. I am interested to see how the self responsibilization of the society was introduced in Slovenia and how it affected the labor market, social, employment and health policies, the concept of labor and industrial workers’ subjectivities. The paper is based on interviews and field work conducted among retired, employed and unemployed textile industrial workers in Slovenia.
By following anthropology of labor, I will explore meanings attributed to work, industrial workers' experiences, the performative role of economy in the context of individualization and self responsibilization of the society, with particular emphasis on the intersection of labour regimes, employment policies, health and welfare programs. The logic of self responsibility is inscribed into concrete historically shaped contexts which can be seen also in the workers’ experience, in their symbolical inscriptions and annotations. I shall therefore highlight not only the material aspect, but also the symbolical meanings (representations of industrial workers), peoples’ own perception and their own understanding of these processes.
By following anthropology of labor, I will explore meanings attributed to work, industrial workers' experiences, the performative role of economy in the context of individualization and self responsibilization of the society, with particular emphasis on the intersection of labour regimes, employment policies, health and welfare programs. The logic of self responsibility is inscribed into concrete historically shaped contexts which can be seen also in the workers’ experience, in their symbolical inscriptions and annotations. I shall therefore highlight not only the material aspect, but also the symbolical meanings (representations of industrial workers), peoples’ own perception and their own understanding of these processes.
