The Working Sovereign

Labour and Democratic Citizenship

Axel Honneth, Daniel Steuer

• Publisher: Polity
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN:
  9781509561285
• eBook ISBN:
  9781509561292
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophy History & Theory

What role does the organisation of labour relations play in the health of a democratic society? Axel Honneth's major new work is devoted to answering this question.  His central thesis is that participation in democratic will formation can only proceed from a transparent and fairly regulated division of labour.

The social world of work – where we spend so much of our time – is almost unique in being a space in which we have experiences and learn lessons that we can use to influence the attitudes of a political community.  Therefore, by shaping working conditions in a particular way, we have a prime opportunity to foster cooperative forms of behaviour that benefit democracy, both by making mental room for these to flourish and by using the workplace as a rehearsal for democratic interaction in wider society.

A job cannot be so tiring that a worker cannot think about political events; a job cannot pay so little that one cannot engage in political activity in his or her free time; a job cannot demand subordination which inhibits deserved criticism of one's superiors: economic independence, intellectual and physical autonomy, reduction of strain and crushing boredom, sufficient free time, self-respect and the confidence to speak up, and the chance to practice democratic interaction are all things which we must encourage in order to unblock access to democratic participation. Honneth argues that the reality of labour today increasingly undermines this participation – and he sets out the conditions necessary for a reversal of this injustice.

Tracking the development of labour conditions since the birth of capitalism, this important book engages with a vital topic that has been neglected in democratic theory. It will be of great interest to students and scholars in philosophy, sociology, politics and the humanities and social sciences generally.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Preliminary Remarks
• Part I Normative Beginnings: Labour in Democratic Society
• 1. Three Resources for a Critique of Contemporary Labour Relations
• 2. A Forgotten Tradition
• 3. Democracy and the Question of a Fair Division of Labour
• Excursus I On the Concept of Social Labour
• Part II Historical Interlude: The Reality of Social Labour
• 4. A Spotlight on the Nineteenth Century
• 5. From 1900 to the Threshold of the Present
• 6. The Capitalist World of Work Today
• Excursus II On the Concept of the Social Division of Labour
• Part III The Political Struggle for the Future of Social Labour
• 7. The Politics of Labour
• 8. Alternatives to the Labour Market
• 9. Improvements to the Labour Market
• Index
• End User License Agreement