Le travail, combien de divisions ? Quelques réflexions sur la notion de spécialisation

Christophe Darmangeat ()
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Christophe Darmangeat: LADYSS - Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - UP8 - Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - UPD7 - Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, TRACES - Travaux et recherches archéologiques sur les cultures, les espaces et les sociétés - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - UT - Université de Toulouse - MCC - Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication - Inrap - Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: The division of labour is a major dimension of human society, intimately linked to advances in technology and productivity. However, the ways and mechanisms of its emergence remain the subject of much debate. After returning to some of the basic issues of definition, we will review the state of our knowledge of its oldest form, that based on gender, which has recently attracted renewed interest. After briefly mentioning the questions that remain as to the nature of the first activities concerned, we will finally criticise the standard theory, which since the eighteenth century has seen the presence of a "surplus" as a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a specialised craft. An alternative line of reasoning will be suggested, which places the key variable not in food productivity, but in the size of social units.

Keywords: Division of labour; Surplus; Specialisation; expertise; Craftsmanship; Division du travail; spécialisation; artisanat; division du travail (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-10-11
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04857081v1
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Published in Acteurs techniques, acteurs sociaux, Rencontres Internationales d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de Nice, Oct 2023, Nice, France

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