The Role of Work in a Sustainable Society

Abstract

Work – intended as paid employment – it’s the fundamental cornerstone of the contemporary society and at the same time a problem of it. An internalized cultural dogma, a moral and a social – economic obsession, mainly existing in the Western society, necessary to the humans in order to get social acceptance, dignity, and as a way to develop their identity. The work dogma existence and its legitimacy it’s the main needs to the function and the survival of the capitalism process, which lets this unsustainable paradigm to exist, in this hectic chain of production and consumption, in name of an infinity growth. It comes that, a life devoted to work and production it’s today the only and desirable possibility for the dominant thinking, despite the already proved repercussions on the social – ecological society. In fact, the dominant paradigm is the most important cause of the planet destruction, as the scientists has shown with the publication of The limits to growth, 1972, and it’s also represent the developing of an individualist social fabric, competitive and materialistic, where the meaning of community, free time and contemplation have lost their important role. A societal change towards sustainability, can not succeed without a transformation of work and society based around work, so becomes extremely important and fundamental reconsider the current social – economic system, in order to create a path that can lead to a sustainable society, where people and nature can collaborate to find their own spaces, their own times and to listen to their needs, in an equal and common way. Inside this societal model, what would be the role of work? Would it continue to be a dogma and a moral duty, as it is in the contemporary society, or would it become a mere completion of the self – sufficiency practices and a realization of what it’s necessary to do for the common good? Will it be individualist and competitive work, or will it be mainly community labor? Will it be salaried, and will it be considered work? An ethnographic research was developed in an eco-community located in Alentejo, Portugal, with the aim to observe and understand if and how work has been reconceptualized. It’s necessary to reminds that the Case Study community analyzed is insert in a global contest based on capitalist paradigm and for these reasons it will present unique varying, this means that they won’t be completely representative of what could be the role of the work in a society completely based on sustainable paradigm.