Radical and varied approaches to Critical Labour Studies

Summary

This article aims to outline the variants of Critical Labour Studies that adopt a research-activist approach based on the assumption that workers’ struggles should be supported by reflexive social science research. Although the Critical Labour Studies network originated in the UK, its experiences and research practices were similar to those of workers’ inquiry, public sociology, and participatory action research developed in other countries around the world over many years. This article discusses these traditions and outlines three types of Critical Labour Studies: partnership-oriented, methodology-focused, and anti-system. It then focuses on the most emblematic anti-system variant, examining its consequences for research practice and the outcomes of critical labour research for workers, trade unions and social movements more broadly.