the refusal of work about the author David Frayne is a lecturer and social researcher based at Cardiff University. His main research interests are consumer cul- ture, the sociology of happiness, alternative education and radical perspectives on work. Twitter: @theworkdogma THE REFUSAL OF WORK The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work david frayne Zed Books london The Refusal of Work: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Work was first published in 2015 by Zed Books Ltd, The Foundry, 17 Oval Way, London SE11 5RR, UK www.zedbooks.co.uk Copyright © David Frayne 2015 The right of David Frayne to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. Typeset in Bulmer by Apex CoVantage, LLC Index:
[email protected] Cover designed by Michael Oswell All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of Zed Books Ltd. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-78360-118-9 hb ISBN 978-1-78360-117-2 pb ISBN 978-1-78360-119-6 pdf ISBN 978-1-78360-120-2 epub ISBN 978-1-78360-121-9 mobi For Jen, who loves life. This page intentionally left blank Contents acknowledgements ix Introduction The work dogma 1 one A provocation 11 two Working pains 45 three The colonising power of work 67 four The stronghold of work 95 five The breaking point 118 six Alternative pleasures 157 seven Half a person 189 eight From escapism to autonomy 210 notes 239 bibliography 247 index 259 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements I would like to thank everyone at Zed Books, particularly Kika Sroka-Miller and Ken Barlow, for seeing potential in this project and helping to bring it to fruition.