Being Smart at Work: Deviance and Responsibility in the Workplace

This thesis explores the experience of insecure, precarious workers in Australia. Central to this investigation is the question of responsibility; namely how do workers respond to, and resist, insecurity in their day-to-day lives. Moreover, I examine whether these responses are emblematic of a more organised political response to workplace insecurity. Data were collected from five large, centrally organised work-sites in Brisbane, where worker’s obligations to work and social life were analysed. Key findings suggest that 'being smart at work' relies on strong socially and politically active cohorts of workers who demonstrate anarchistic practices of mutual cooperation and self-organisation. 

Funding: I was fortunate enough to receive an Australian Postgraduate Award scholarship to support me during my PhD.

Advisors: Dr Peter Walters