New Worlds of Logistical Labour – Spaces,Places, Technologies, Workers
Special Issue of Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation (UK)
This special issue aims to assemble papers located at the interface between studies of work, labour and the evolving field of critical logistics. It intends to address the core question: what exactly is new about ‘new’ work and labour in logistics? While much has been documented about the ‘logistical revolution’ (Cowen, 2014; Chua et al, 2018; Alimahomed-Wilson and Ness, 2018; Neilson et al, 2018; Benvegnù, et al, 2019; Delfanti, 2021), to what extent do new developments lead to novelty in types of work and employment, forms of exploitation (Banaji, 2010) or regimes of labour (Wood, 2021; Baglioni et al, 2022)? To what extent do these developments translate into new workplaces, into the transformation of communities or societies and new compositions of labouring classes? What features of logistical work represent ruptures with the past or which represent continuity or even path dependency?
The special issue welcomes papers which address the issues outlined above, as well as those which address research questions that incorporate (but are not limited to):
insights from logistical labour in new places, e.g., countries, regions, cities, etc.;
insights from studies of the flow or movement of people between/through places, e.g., patterns of labour commuting, labour migration (intra-urban, inter-regional or international), labour market catchment areas, studies of migrant workers, changes to workforce/class composition, etc.;
impacts of new logistical expansions on local communities;
new compositions of labour based on racial, ethno-cultural, national, linguistic or caste distinctions;
the role of key or leading firms in the expansion and transformation of logistical labour, e.g., Amazon but also competitors, rivals and retail brands in different places such as Alibaba, Jingdong, DHL and other logistical service providers, 3PLs, etc.;
the social reproduction of logistical labour forces;
case studies of key actors, e.g., trade unions, labour NGOs, social movements, intermediaries, service providers, technology providers, experts, etc.;
the gendered dynamics of new logistical labour forces;
developments before, during and/or since the COVID-19 pandemic;
relations between logistical labour and new or emerging technologies and human-machine interactions, e.g., robotics, wearable technologies, platform-based technologies, algorithmic forms of management, work organisation, recruitment, performance management, etc.;
labour displacement/reinstatement effects (Acemoglu and Restrepo, 2019) from automated technologies and/or economic change and restructuring;
relations between logistical transformations, labour and the changing nature of capitalism(s);
logistical labour and the ‘gigification’ of ‘standard’ work and employment;
insights or tensions between logistical labour and markets based on eCommerce vs. physical storefronts.
The special issue will be edited by Tom Barnes (Australian Catholic University), Christopher O’Neill (Monash University, Australia) and Lauren Kelly (RMIT University, Australia). Questions about the special issue, including the suitability of potential papers, can be directed, in the first instance, to tom.barnes@acu.edu.au.Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation is an independent, international, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, founded in 2006. For more information please see https://wolg.wordpress.com All submitted articles are subjected to double-blind peer review.
The deadline for submissions is 1st March 2024.
For more details, visit: https://wolg.wordpress.com/special-issues/872-2/