Unfree labour: how modern is modern slavery?

Jenkins, Jean ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1231-9599 2025. Unfree labour: how modern is modern slavery? Rees, C., Bozkurt, Ö., Limoncelli, S. A. and Preminger, J., eds. Handbook on the Sociology of Work, Edward Elgar, pp. 422-435. (10.4337/9781035302376.00038) Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

As the incidence of forced labour increases across the globe, sociological debate has argued over what is novel in the theorising of slavery, coercion and exploitation. It is challenging to pin down the exact nature and role of ‘freedom’ and ‘unfreedom’ in contemporary capitalism, and this has implications for resistance. This chapter engages with the contested positions taken towards theorising unfreedom, using real-world examples to highlight the importance of accurate definition for remedy and redress. It concludes that unfreedom should be more fully exposed as deliberate corporate strategy, for its potential to be an important element in the broader process of accumulation and the attainment of competitive advantage. In this respect, unfreedom is explained as part of the ongoing struggle in capital-labour relations.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Business (Including Economics)
Publisher:	Edward Elgar
ISBN:	9781035302369
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 January 2026
Date of Acceptance:	3 November 2025
Last Modified:	07 Jan 2026 10:44
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183633

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