The Workless: Stigma, Unpaid Labour and the Myth of Economic Inactivity - Couverture souple

Morrison, James

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1835953743 ISBN 13 : 9781835953747

Editeur : Intellect Books, 2026

Synopsis

This book critically analyses historical and contemporary discourses around worklessness, economic inactivity and the factors that contribute to people withdrawing from the conventional labour market.

In analysing popular portrayals of 'the workless', the book draws heavily on the sociological theories of stigma and symbolic annihilation, and conceives of the contemporary narrative about the UK's 'crisis' in economic inactivity as the latest in a continuum of periodic moral panics about worklessness. A key argument is that neoliberal definitions of 'work' and 'worklessness' are too narrow, and deny - and render invisible - the importance of various forms of unpaid labour performed by many people classified as 'inactive', notably informal caregiving and volunteering.

Methodologically, it combines analysis of historical and contemporary media and political narratives around 'worklessness' and factors that limit individuals' capacity for conventional paid work - from disability and long-term illness to caring responsibilities - with interviews with people who have lived experience of 'economic inactivity'. The scope of analysis encompasses critical discourse analysis of print and online newspaper articles from across the UK national and regional press; 'below-the-line' comments posted by audience-members beneath articles; and verbatim records of debates and speeches focusing on economic inactivity in the UK Parliament. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 individuals classified as economically inactive. These were subjected to thematic analysis.

Contrasting popular narratives with the lived experiences of ‘inactive’ people, it questions the validity of dominant stereotypes and the wider efficacy of policies designed to address ‘worklessness’

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

James Morrison is associate professor in journalism studies at University of Stirling, a former national newspaper journalist, and a specialist in qualitative research into media representations and lived experiences of economic and intersectional disadvantage. He is the author of several monographs, including Scroungers and The Left Behind (Bloomsbury, 2019).

Contact: Division of Communications, Media and Culture, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Intellect Books
• Date d'édition: 2026
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1835953743
• ISBN 13: 9781835953747
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 208
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Allemagne