Life and Labour
Contested Occupation and Meaningful Alienation
Edited by Maria Giatsi Clausen and Eurig Scandrett
Published
Jan 1, 2026Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529242539Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
Jan 1, 2026Page count
240 pagesISBN
978-1529242546Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Life and Labour
What makes human activity meaningful?
This book explores how social, economic and political forces have shaped the meaning of ‘occupation’ throughout history. Tracing the shift from industrial capitalism’s division of ‘work’ and ‘life,’ it analyses how movements for gender equality, labour rights, decolonization and disability activism have contested what is considered meaningful. From the trade union fight for shorter hours to the feminist reimagining of domestic labour, the book examines the struggles over who defines occupation and for whose benefit.
With case studies by activist scholars, this provocative book reveals how conflicts are central to shaping modern social relations.
Maria Giatsi Clausen is Senior Lecturer in the Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a trade union representative with University and College Union.
Eurig Scandrett is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a trade union representative with University and College Union.
Part 1
1. Occupation as Hegemony - Maria Giatsi Clausen and Eurig Scandrett
Part 2
2. Trade Union Organising for Life - Eurig Scandrett and Maria Giatsi Clausen
3. Mental Illness, Volunteering and Recovery: Transforming Work Towards Human Flourishing - Heather Hunter
4. Gendered Occupation: How the Women’s Movement Has Challenged Sex Inequality in the Labour Market - Shereen Benjamin
5. Resistance and Formal Schooling: Making a Case for Politicisation and the Scholè - Maria Giatsi Clausen
6. Occupation and Disability: Alienation and Affirmation - Colin Cameron
7. Madness and Occupation - An Anonymous Neurodivergent Scholar, Alex Dunedin and Carmel Schmid
8. The Autistic People’s Movement: Shifting the Narrative - Sara McHaffie
9. How Do People Talk About Work in Art Therapy? - Chris Wood
10. A Decent Environment for All - Eurig Scandrett and Bhopal Survivors’ Movement Study
11. Decolonising Occupation: Everyday Forms of Resistance in Palestine - Juman Simaan and Mahmoud Soliman
Part 3
12. Conclusion: From Meaningful Alienation to Emancipatory Praxis: The Role of Social Movements - Aline Godoy-Vieira, Maria Giatsi Clausen and Eurig Scandrett
