Tag: technology and society

Webinar: Rethinking Michael Burawoy’s Legacy — November 26, 2026

On By Jessica UrzúaIn Announcements, virtual sessionLeave a comment

26 November, 12:00 – 13:15 EST
Free online event

Over 40 years after its publication, Michael Burawoy’s The Politics of Production remains one of the most influential works in Marxist labour research, one which is central to the development of labour process theory. In 2025 the labour research community also suffered a profound loss with Burawoy’s sudden passing. We are honouring Burawoy’s contribution with an online discussion of his work and what it offers scholars today.

This session will feature authors from the upcoming Themed Section “Rethinking Michael Burawoy’s Legacy” published in Work in the Global Economy. During this session, we will debate Burawoy’s legacy, including his influence on ideas on consent, workplace relations, hegemonic regimes in times of technological change and the extended case study method.

The presentations will be followed by a live discussion and Q&A session. All the articles featured at this event will be free to access from 9 – 30 November 2026.

Speakers:

  • Paul Edwards will examine Burawoy’s concept of the extended case method and discusses how it has been received in research.
  • Valeria Pulignano and Lynford Dor will draw on Burawoy’s concept of ‘hegemonic regimes’ and to adapt it for the analysis of current technological upheavals.
  • Paul Thompson will discuss Burawoy’s notions of conflict, antagonism, and consent.
  • Alex Wood will explore the evolution of the understanding of the workplace, workplace relations and class identities in Burawoy’s work.

Chair: Jean Jenkins, Co-Editor in Chief of Work in the Global Economy and Emeritus Professor, Cardiff University UK

The event is free to attend but pre-registration is required. Register here.

All registered attendees will receive a recording of the webinar and temporary free access to the upcoming Themed Section “Rethinking Michael Burawoy’s Legacy”, published in Work in the Global Economy.

New Publication: “Jurisdictional Gerrymandering: The Authority of Problems without Solutions” by Shira Zilberstein

On By Neha JangetiIn Announcements, PublicationsLeave a comment

Zilberstein, Shira. 2026. “Jurisdictional Gerrymandering: The Authority of Problems without Solutions.” Social Problems. doi:10.1093/socpro/spag024

Abstract: This paper develops the concept of jurisdictional gerrymandering to explain how professionals selectively invoke boundaries around their expertise to frame their role and maintain authority in solving problems that extend beyond their jurisdiction. Drawing on a study of artificial intelligence (AI) model development for healthcare, I analyze how AI practitioners position their work in relation to health equity, an issue they acknowledge cannot be solved through technology. Rather than claiming full authority over equity solutions or deferring to other domains, AI practitioners engage in jurisdictional gerrymandering by critiquing, projecting, and dissolving jurisdiction for different aspects of defining and solving health equity. This process enables them to retain authority to participate in health equity problem solving through moral alignment without accountability for solutions. In contrast to jurisdictional models of professional authority or networked expertise, jurisdictional gerrymandering unbundles defining and solving problems. It reveals a key mechanism through which authority is maintained without asserting control or claiming to be able to achieve solutions. Jurisdictional gerrymandering enables problem frames to continually serve as justifications for technological projects and expert interventions regardless of solutions, shedding light on tensions between innovation, expertise, and responsibility for social problems.

Shira Zilberstein is a PhD candidate in sociology at Harvard University and a fellow in the Science and Technology Studies program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research focuses on cultural sociology, science and technology studies and organizations, as well as theory and methods. She is interested in the production, interpretation and evaluation of ideas and the dynamics between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic forms of knowledge in institutional and technical settings. To this end, she has conducted research on grassroots artists, international non-governmental organizations, American college students, academics and journalists. Her dissertation focuses on applied interdisciplinary research collaborations in the field of artificial intelligence. The project studies the ways in which social impact is understood and structured by organizational incentives and decision-making processes that define and seek to address social needs.