MATRIX DER ARBEIT - Materials on the history and future of labour

The „matrix of labour“ includes various Meetings which we would like to draw your attention to:

Herbert Schaaff

• in business and society: Book review - The history and future of labour (Economy and Society 49 (4): 103-110)

Peter Kern

• in Jungle World: The matrix of work and how to free yourself from it (08.02.2024)
• in Gegenblende (DGB): The Good Work Manifesto (12.10.2023)
• in Faust culture: Matrix of living labour, reloaded (09.10.2023)
• in splendour & misery: »Travail attractif« (06.10.2023)

Klaus Lang

• in Sozialismus.de issue 1/24, double review of Axel Honneth „Der arbeitende Souverän“ and IGZA „Matrix der Arbeit“: Prosperity for all and liberated labour: clear goal - difficult path (04.01.2024)

VOLUME 2: THE AGRI-CULTURAL EPOCH

Welcome to the second epoch in the history of labour, which fundamentally changed humanity's economic system around 10,000 years ago and, from around 5,000 years before today, revolutionised social coexistence on the basis of a small, agricultural surplus.

Transition to the domestication of plants and animals

Volume 2 begins with the upheavals at the end of the last ice age. Triggered by growing population pressure, people began to domesticate plants and animals. The first early agricultural communities emerged during this period. We look in detail at ethnological and archaeological evidence to understand the causes and consequences of this transition. Humans became more sedentary and laid the foundations for the complex agrarian societies that emerged from around 5,000 years ago with the new economy based on plant cultivation and animal husbandry.

The 5,000 transformation: Scarce wealth - civilisation and barbarism

Around 5,000 years ago, the way we live together changed forever. What is still described in many history books as the emergence of »civilisation«, the emergence of writing, theatre, literature and legal texts, of specialised professions and fantastic achievements of human labour such as the pyramids, of philosophy and mathematics as well as ornate gold and silver jewellery, is only one half of the reality. Using unique figures on agricultural productivity, we can show that metalworking, the plough and draught animals, large irrigation systems, mathematics, astronomy and much more created the basis for a systematic surplus. However, this new wealth was scarce, so that this era is also inextricably linked not only with civilisational achievements, but also with the emergence of new »barbarism«, exploitation of people as slaves and tributary subjects by the hierarchy, with war for empire building and patriarchy as social institutions, which are still with us today!

VOLUME 3: CAPITALIST MARKET ECONOMY AND MODE OF PRODUCTION

The third volume centres on the last 250 years - the era in which we live today: In the capitalist market economy and mode of production that revolutionised the productivity of human labour and the way we live together.

In the first three chapters, we explore systematic questions about the market economy, capitalism and its growth logic, as well as the unstoppable dynamics of labour automation and sectoral change.

Explosion of productivity

In one hour of work, a person in the most developed countries can now produce around 90 times as many goods and services as by manual labour - an incredible explosion in productivity compared to agriculture, whose scarce wealth was fed by a productivity level of only around three times that of manual labour. The comprehensive presentation includes key dimensions that interact with labour. It also includes concrete examples at key turning points, for example from Richard Arkwright - one of the 'inventors' of the modern textile factory - to John D. Rockefeller - one of the most important business leaders of the first large corporations - to Blackrock - one of the most powerful asset managers in the world, exemplary of the power of investors in the age of financialisation and digitalisation.

Expansion of emancipatory and destructive potentials

The rest of the volume not only describes the 'ingredients' that made the unleashing of productivity possible. It also deals with the emancipatory aspects such as the increasing prosperity of the working population, the shortening of working lives with simultaneously increasing life expectancy or the first tendencies towards the dissolution of patriarchal structures, but also with the dark sides of this development such as the overexploitation of people and nature and increasing inequality.

VOLUME 4: THE FUTURE OF WORK

In the fourth volume, we turn our attention to the future of labour. The time horizon is the year 2100, i.e. the next 75 years. From an everyday perspective, this seems like a long time, but it only covers the duration of a human life. Children born today will live to see the next turn of the century.

The end of work? Sustainable work!

At the beginning of the 21st century, with its multiple ecological, economic and political crises, wars and ever-increasing inequality, the consequences of overexploitation of people and nature are clear to see. We are living beyond our means. The first part deals with the topics of material prosperity, energy and the environment, population, climate and resources, i.e. the connection between the explosion in productivity and ecological sustainability. At the same time, however, we are also living below our means. The second part deals with the qualitative core of work. What is 'good work'? What is the relationship between work and technology in the digital age? And what does this mean for qualifications and training? The third part deals with the socio-ecological transformation and a new understanding of productivity. Extensive statistical material provides an insight into global structures and the inequality of relations between and within the countries and regions of our world, especially between the Global North and South.

Synthesis: end of scarcity, realm of freedom

In the synthesis, we summarise the essential structural elements of the empirical-historical passage through the history of labour. We show the great, but preconditional potential that will arise in the future - on the basis of high and increasing labour productivity and a solidary and ecological orientation of economic activity - for the solution of the economic problem (end of scarcity) and a solidary, democratic society and sustainable, fulfilling work for all (realm of freedom).

VOLUME 5+6: MAJOR TRENDS

The first four volumes are chronological cross-sections. In line with the idea of a 'matrix', volumes 5 and 6 take a longitudinal look at the major themes and trends.

The observation begins with 'Climate' and 'Population', as the emergence and development of Homo sapiens is closely linked to climatic changes. Throughout almost all of history, dependence has only run in one direction: nature ➝ man. For at least 250 years, however, the direction has been reversed and we are massively and globally influencing nature, climate and the environment (humans ➝ nature) - fatally to our own detriment or even demise.

Then core categories of work - 'Work organisation', 'Division of labour', 'Labour, technology, knowledge (science)' and 'Working time' - with its milestones. Graphics, timelines, images and tables illustrate these long lines of work.

In the big trend 'Unemployment' looks at the development from the beginnings of forced non-labour, which in the case of landlessness was a threat to livelihoods even 5,000 years ago, to the solidarity-based protection provided by social insurance systems.

The development of the standard of living and its distribution will be reflected in the major trend 'Poverty and wealth'from 300,000 years of »scarcity and abundance« to life in »scarce wealth« in 5,000 years of hierarchical-imperial agrarian societies to the potential of an »end of scarcity«, i.e. secure prosperity for all, which has been achieved in the last 250 years on the basis of the explosion in productivity.

The last two major trends are dedicated to 'Patriarchy' and 'Hierarchy' Specific features of the last 5,000 years that still have a formative effect today. At the centre is the amalgam of the continuing structures of the agrarian era and the upheavals of social structures with the capitalist market economy of the last 250 years, with the beginnings of democracy in work and society and - after the first intensifications - the beginning of the dissolution of patriarchal structures.

VOLUME 7: DATA MANUAL

The final volume 7 is the statistical centrepiece of the matrix materials.

Data and methods

In the first part you will find the central data tables on topics such as population, labour force, production, productivity, working hours, unemployment, distribution and consumption as well as the environment. Explanations of the tables and methodological explanations are also included. In the 'Distribution and consumption' section, the concept of consumption baskets is explained in detail. This makes it possible to describe the development of living standards across epochs, starting with the absolute subsistence level basket of goods as a basic unit that contains only what is necessary for survival. You will also find a list of abbreviations, measures and units of account at the beginning of the volume.

 Sources

In the second part, we present the most important sources that have been incorporated into the matrix materials. These represent the current state of research from the disciplines of economic and social statistics, archaeology, ethnology and global history research. The sources include institutions such as the UN, the OECD and Eurostat as well as national statistical offices and historical-empirical research - from pioneers such as Colin Clark and Angus Maddison to current projects such as the World Inequality Database, which builds on the work of Thomas Piketty and others.

This volume concludes our journey through the history and future of labour. We believe that we can offer all those interested in the history and future of labour good statistical tools for a wide range of applications that transcend specialist boundaries. We hope that this comprehensive presentation and the rich material of data, charts, timelines and analyses will not only provide you with knowledge, but also with ideas for further discussion and research.