Why Work?

Why Work? is a provocative collection of essays by writers from the 19th century through to today, dissecting work, its forms under capitalism and the possibilities for an alternative society producing for our needs, rather than mere avarice. It posits the question — why do some of us still work until we drop in an age of vast automated production, while others starve for “lack of work?” Where is the leisure society that was promised?

In this third edition we feature an all-new introduction by Shiri Shalmy, co-founder of Antiuniversity and Cooperation Town, alongside the design work of Karishma Puri and new essays by Amardeep Singh Dhillon, Sophie K Rosa and Tamara MacLeod, who write about work in its most modern, precarious incarnations.

The full selection of essays in Why Work? from the classic works of William Morris and Voltarine de Cleyre through to Colin Ward, Juliet Schor and David Graeber, is thought-provoking and radical — well worth setting aside some time for reading and gently reflecting.