Nancy Fraser: Three Faces of Capitalist Labor

The AUP Center for Critical Democracy Studies and The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade are hosting Nancy Fraser (The New School) for a lecture on "Three Faces of Capitalist Labor: Uncovering The Hidden Ties Between Gender, Race & Class".

The seminar series Critical Theory 101: Future Directions and New Challenges, co-organized by The American University of Paris and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, seeks to explore the evolving landscape of critical theory as it enters its second century. Launched with a keynote by Axel Honneth on June 13, 2024, the series will continue with a session featuring Nancy Fraser on November 4, 2024, and conclude with Rahel Jaeggi in February 2025. Bringing together the most prominent voices in contemporary thought, the seminars will address emerging challenges and map out new directions for critical theory, reflecting on its capacity to engage with current social and political transformations while rethinking its foundational principles for the future.

Professor Fraser's lecture is the second in the Future Directions & New Challenges Event Series co-organized by the two centers.

Abstract:
Dissatisfied with identity-based politics, many activists and intellectuals are now seeking larger paradigms that can unify disparate struggles. Aiming to advance that project, Fraser proposes that labor forms the hidden link between gender, race, and class. Her inspiration is W.E.B. Du Bois’s claim, in Black Reconstruction, that nineteenth century America had two labor movements, anti-slavery and trade unionism, which tragically failed to unite. Extending this idea to the present, Fraser expands it by adding a third. Construing feminism, too, as a labor movement, focused on the work of care, she argues that that capitalist society relies on three distinct types of labor: exploited, expropriated, and domesticated. Their structural entwinement, Fraser maintains, constitutes the inner, systemic ties between gender, race, and class.

Bio:
Nancy Fraser is Henry A. and Louise Loeb Professor of philosophy and politics at the New School for Social Research and a member of the Editorial Committee of New Left Review. Trained as a philosopher, she specializes in critical social theory and political philosophy. Widely known for her work on the relation between redistribution and recognition in the theory of justice, she works now on the relation of capitalism to racial oppression, social reproduction, ecological crisis, feminist movements, and the rise of rightwing populism.