300632 Anthropology of Labour (30-M25 Transnationalisierung und Migration) (S) (WiSe 2025/2026)

What is labour, and how has its value been shaped by race, class, and gender? In what ways have labour relations evolved in response to global political and economic processes? These are some of the central questions this course will explore. By engaging with theoretical texts in sociology and anthropology, as well as ethnographic studies on the everyday experiences of people across different regions, the course examines not only how labour has been conceptualized but also how its meanings, value, and forms—along with labour relations—have been profoundly transformed through industrialization, financialization, and digitalization/platformization.

The course also investigates the intersections between labour and identity, focusing on gender, race, and class, as well as the dynamics between productive and reproductive labour. It further examines how political measures shape the inclusion and exclusion of labour within different social and economic systems. Finally, the discussions will highlight the consequences of these transformations on the lives of ordinary people and explore how they challenge and negotiate different labour regimes.