Théorie politique



H14(d) - The Politics of Workplaces

Date: Jun 13 | Heure: 03:30pm to 05:00pm | Salle: UQAM, Pavillon Paul-Gérin-Lajoie (N), 1205 St-Denis, room/classroom N-4050

Chair/Président/Présidente : Jimmy Lim (National University of Singapore)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : David McGrane (University of Saskatchewan)

An Epistemological Critique of Pseudo Gig Work: Entitlement Claiming and Unjust Epistemic Burdens: Chi Kwok (Lingnan University), On Tai (Lingnan University)
Abstract: Recent research indicates that expanding businesses are increasingly utilizing “pseudo” gig work to avoid providing full benefits to their workers, even when these workers essentially function as regular employees, receiving instructions from the firm and performing routine tasks daily. The existing literature has extensively critiqued this kind of gig work, primarily emphasizing the material deprivations, transfer of risk, and structural inequalities faced by workers. Building on the literature of epistemic injustice, this article introduces an epistemic critique of pseudo gig work, highlighting the unfair knowledge-based challenges workers face when trying to assert their rights and entitlements. This article makes two contributions. First, it introduces an additional normative basis for critiquing pseudo gig work by shedding light on the epistemic burdens borne by workers. Second, it illustrates these challenges and the unfair disadvantages encountered by workers using specific legal cases as examples.


Compassionate Economy towards Democratic Equality: Rethinking Distributive Justice with Zen Buddhism: Yang-Yang Cheng (University of Toronto)
Abstract: Relational egalitarianism challenges distributive conceptions of justice in arguing that the point of equality is not to ensure the equal distribution of certain goods but to eliminate oppression and promote democratic equality where people relate to one another as social equals. Yet, the distributive implications of relational egalitarianism require further investigation, because the ideal of relational equality cannot be achieved without more just economic distribution and redistribution. To better understand what distributive principles and institutions affirm relational egalitarianism’s commitment to democratic equality, this paper draws on Zen Buddhist insights into inter-being and suffering to develop an account of a compassionate economy. The paper’s central argument is that the practice of compassion further advances relational egalitarianism’s project of eliminating oppression. Zen Buddhism is helpful in this regard by uncovering the interplay between the cultivation of the mind (inner transformation) and socioeconomic reform (outer transformation). Specifically, a compassionate economy involves overcoming three unwholesome mental states on both personal and institutional levels: Greed, hatred, and delusion not only cause personal suffering but are also institutionalized in the capitalistic economy, which reproduces social suffering. A compassionate economy fosters social relations in which people seek to transcend self-attachment and care for one another as equals. The paper’s normative intervention is twofold: The first is to join the endeavors of Comparative Political Theory to decolonize and democratize Political Theory by thinking with marginalized traditions of thought to address contemporary political issues. The second is to make a case for compassion’s critical role in promoting democratic equality.


Customers and Worker Freedom: Spencer McKay (University of British Columbia)
Abstract: The domination of workers is a major concern for political theorists. While much has been said about the relationship between firms and workers, much less consideration has been given to the relationship between workers and the clients or customers that they encounter. Workers often mediate the relationship between their employer and its customers. Customers can leverage various mechanisms – including money, reputation, and authority – to enable or undermine the standing and autonomy of workers. I consider how workers might effectively set boundaries on customer control. This might include reshaping their direct relationships with customers by shirking, sharing information, or making themselves illegible. It may also include contesting the conditions of their employment through unionization or other mechanisms of collective action.