“How has labor, that cornerstone of the Left since its foundation, been appropriated by its opponents? And, most crucially, how can this key issue be recaptured and made a priority for the Left?” These are the strikingly apposite questions[1] posed in this book — entitled L’Autre Moitié du monde. Essai sur le sens et la valeur du travail [The Other Half of the World: Essay on the Meaning and Value of Labor] — by Paul Magnette who is both a professor of political theory at ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles) and leader of the Belgian Socialist Party. He is asking these questions at exactly the same time and in exactly the same manner as another left-wing political leader: France’s François Ruffin.[2] Both draw on extensive voter testimony and make good use of relevant advances in the field of labor studies (encompassing psychology, ergonomics, sociology, statistics, etc.).[3]
The testimonies gathered and the social sciences research all support the theory that as an activity work still plays a key role in the make-up of individuals, their health, and their social ties. Paul Magnette successfully demonstrates “how we are constructed by work” because it forces us to confront i
