Work, production, employement. A comprehensive genealogy of the anthropological, economic and social dimensions of work. A case study focusing on France.

Nous proposons de distinguer trois dimensions que recouvre la notion de travail et d’en faire la généalogie. La dimension anthropologique du travail concerne l’action technique sur la nature, créatrice de mondes sociaux. La dimension économique du travail concerne la production de marchandises. La dimension sociale du travail concerne le statut juridique des travailleurs et les droits qu’ouvre l’emploi. Nous étudions dans un premier temps la philosophie du travail à travers les œuvres de Marx et de Simone Weil, et nous rendons compte de la manière dont le mouvement ouvrier français se l’est appropriée. Dans un second temps, nous rendons compte de l’évolution économique française de 1945 à nos jours. Nous montrons de quelle manière la société de production a transformé et diversifié les activités salariées. Enfin, dans une dernière partie, nous interrogeons l’émergence de la notion de lien social. Si l’emploi – la relation salariale – permet de nos jours la réalisation du lien social, c’est qu’il intègre des éléments qui ne concernent ni le travail-action, ni le travail-marchandise. Mais il tend de la sorte à conférer à la sociabilité une dimension marchande.We illustrate three dimensions which come under the notion of work and draw up a genealogy of each one. The anthropological dimension of work deals with the technical act upon nature, creator of social worlds. The economic dimension of work is concerned with the production of goods. The social dimension of work deals with the legal status of workers and the rights which come from employment. First at all we study the philosophy of work by looking at works by Marx and Simone Weil, and we consider in what ways the French working-class movement is suited to this. Secondly, we consider the French economic evolution from 1945 to the present day. We demonstrate the ways in which the society of production has transformed and diversified the different paid activities that exist. Finally, we question the emergence of the notion of social links. This notion denotes partly, the interdependence of workers (employees, management, independent workers) thanks to Social Security, and also, the sociability (meetings, dialogues, communication). If employment today – the work relationship – allows the realisation of these two sides to the social link, it means that it integrates elements which deal with neither the act of work, nor the product of work. But it acts in such a way as to import a dimension of production to the sociability, to reduce the latter to a means to an end: the preservation of a society of employment