Que(e)rying Antiwork Politics: Queer Identities, Agency, Affect and the Normalcy of Work
Creators: name: Gillard, Hannah
Publisher: name: unknown
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Affect (Psychology)
subject: Queer theory
subject: Work--Sociological aspects
subject: Labor
subject: Gay and lesbian studies

description: People's relationships to paid work are many and varied. For some it is an important indicator of their identity, while for others it is a form of inescapable drudgery, boredom, or a place of exploitation. For those under- and unemployed, this unbearable state of boredom might itself be an aspiration. Current literature on queer identities and work culture is limited by its tendency to focus on discrimination in the workplace, the importance of making workplaces more 'queer-friendly', and questioning why there is a high proportion of gay men and lesbians in particular professions. What this material fails to query is the way work governs everyday reality, and whether queer-friendly capitalism is necessarily a good thing. 

Kathi Weeks (2011) employs the term 'antiwork politics' to describe a type of utopic imagining which encourages us to question why paid work monopolises so much time, and the necessity of critiquing policies, practices and ideologies that normalise and privatise work in everyday life. I propose using an antiwork theoretical perspective to analyse a selection of online queer political spaces and interviews with queer and trans workers. I will also consider the ways in which antiwork politics must itself be questioned for its privilege and potential class bias. Considering queer identities, queer theory and antiwork politics together is beneficial for these parties and fields, as I will demonstrate in this dissertation.
description: People's relationships to paid work are many and varied. For some it is an important indicator of their identity, while for others it is a form of inescapable drudgery, boredom, or a place of exploitation. For those under- and unemployed, this unbearable state of boredom might itself be an aspiration. Current literature on queer identities and work culture is limited by its tendency to focus on discrimination in the workplace, the importance of making workplaces more 'queer-friendly', and questioning why there is a high proportion of gay men and lesbians in particular professions. What this material fails to query is the way work governs everyday reality, and whether queer-friendly capitalism is necessarily a good thing. Kathi Weeks (2011) employs the term 'antiwork politics' to describe a type of utopic imagining which encourages us to question why paid work monopolises so much time, and the necessity of critiquing policies, practices and ideologies that normalise and privatise work in everyday life. I propose using an antiwork theoretical perspective to analyse a selection of online queer political spaces and interviews with queer and trans workers. I will also consider the ways in which antiwork politics must itself be questioned for its privilege and potential class bias. Considering queer identities, queer theory and antiwork politics together is beneficial for these parties and fields, as I will demonstrate in this dissertation.