Dr. Allison Pugh “The Stratification of Human Contact: The Present and Future of Connective Labor”

UBC Sociology hosted Dr. Allison Pugh for our 2022/2023 Distinguished Speaker Series Academic Launch. She presented a lecture titled, “The Stratification of Human Contact: The Present and Future of Connective Labor“ on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. “Connective labor” is the relational work between practitioner and recipient, typified by therapy, teaching, or primary care, where workers serve as a human witness of the other in their efforts to produce a particular end. Contemporary capitalism – insecure production, expansive consumption and rampant inequality – has helped to generate both the widespread need for recognition and the connective labor jobs that provide it. Yet ironically it is also ushering in the rationalizing, standardizing systems – including the apps and AI – that are transforming this work. Based on 100 interviews and 300 hours of observation, my research argues that the contemporary degradation of connective labor, particularly for disadvantaged people, makes its automation s