Labour as constituent power

Emilios Christodoulidis

Chapter 18 in Research Handbook on the Law and Politics of Sovereignty, 2026, pp 323-343 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter deals with the relationship between labour and constituent power, emphasising its continuing political relevance against recent trends that have sought to depoliticise it through problematic distinctions. It traces the historical roots of this connection, starting with the Paris Commune of 1871 as a classic example of self-management and spontaneous worker mobilisation. The discussion then follows the expression of labour's constituent power in other European settings: the 1905 Russian Revolution and the Petrograd Soviets; Italy's Autunno Caldo of 1969, shaped by operaismo (workerism) and the factory as a focal point; and finally, the rise of Solidarność in Gdańsk in 1980. Across these episodes, the chapter highlights labour's ability to generate self-valorisation, collective action, and spontaneous political initiative – defying entrenched institutions and articulating its own needs and identity.

Keywords: Labour; Constituent Power; Depoliticisation; Autunno Caldo; Solidarność (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803926346
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