ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the present crisis of work in its most evident sign, that is, unemployment. This crisis is frequently assumed as an inevitable consequence of globalisation and of the development of new forms of production. Against this economic (and technological) narrative, the chapter analyses the present crisis as the breakdown of a socio-political form of organisation, that of industrial democracies. It explores some processes that have facilitated the crisis of work as it was conceived in industrial democracies and the consequent shift in policies from employment to employability. The chapter also explores new emerging forms of activity in postFordist societies that are normally included under the rubric of immaterial production. It is argued that the specific characteristics of these activities present a good opportunity to rethink work. The chapter ends by pointing to alternative ways to enhance public acknowledgment of the importance of the activities for the reconfiguration of citizenship rights.
