Abstract

This chapter sets out the analytical context of this collective reflection: a meta-analysis of the shifts undergone by the category of ‘worker’. After making a number of observations about the performativity of the categories by which the social question is named and problematised, this chapter reviews the analytical and argumentative structure of the manuscript, which is organised around three different axes: rehabilitation of the ‘labour world’ as a locus for action and deliberation, blurring of boundaries between categories and a redefinition of employment as the reference category. Lastly, the contributions of the authors who participated in this volume are summarised.