Work and imaginaries of freedom

Anette Hallin (), Christoffer Andersson (), Lucia Crevani (), Caroline Ingvarsson (), Chris Ivory (), Inti Lammi (), Eva Lindell () and Anna Uhlin ()

Chapter 4 in Creating the Future of Work, 2025, pp 65-86 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Imaginaries of work and freedom is the topic of Chapter 4. The fundamental idea behind these imaginaries is that work is something that people should be freed from, and made more free within, and that technology can support this. With technology, humans can work wherever and whenever we choose. The recent trend of ‘digital nomading’ captures this well. However, we argue that these imaginaries also construct work as an individual endeavor, and in so doing change the conditions for workplace community and communities of practice. Digital technologies go hand-in-hand with the development of the gig economy and of precarious work, meaning that they also raise issues related to power and the distribution of reward. Not everyone is free to decide where, when, how – or, indeed, if – they work.

Keywords: Freedom; Digital nomads; Gig-economy; Knowledge-economy; Community; Flexibilization of work (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035324477
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