Vol. 5 No. 2 (2021): Projections for the labor world in the 21st century

Projections for the labor world in the 21st century

This dossier is organized by the Labor, Constitution and Citizenship Research Group and the Latin American College of World Studies, and it seeks to provide a reflection on work and labor relations in the current context of the advance of neoliberalism, the growth of inequalities and the rise of political authoritarianism. This context is characterized by the existence of new forms of exploitation and precarious labor in the framework of the fourth technological revolution juxtaposed with old forms of exploitation of human labor that still persist, such as informal, child and slave labor. Rather than provide a description of labor relations today, the dossier seeks to debate the very definition of work and workers’ identity and reflect on its relationship with other social identities such as gender, race, ethnicity and sexualities, taking into account the local particularities and territorial diversification. We seek to carry out a sociological and legal reflection on how to (re) think and (re) define work in the current context and the challenges for the reconstruction of labor relations that guarantee social progress and the protection of human and fundamental rights, backed by human dignity and by civilizing humanistic parameters. This reflection becomes even more important in view of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.