{"title":"Books by Jamie Woodcock","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781608468669","title":"Marx at the Arcade","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMore people are playing video games than ever before, and yet much of the work of their production remains obscured to us.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDeploying a Marxist approach, Jamie Woodcock delves into the hidden abode of the gaming industry, unravelling the vast networks of artists, software developers, and factory and logistics workers whose material and immaterial labor flows into the products we consume on a gargantuan scale. Beyond this, the book analyzes the increasingly important role the gaming industry plays in contemporary capitalism, and the broader transformations of work and economy that it embodies. Woodcock also presents game-play itself not as a “deviant activity,” as it is often understood, but as a commentary of estrangement from contemporary forms of work. In so doing, it offers a fresh and much needed analysis of a sector which has for too long been neglected by scholars and labor activists alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301643170165,"sku":"9781608468669","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781608468669_9df42c21-45d4-4829-ba3f-7bccfe822a57.jpg?v=1786034628"},{"product_id":"9781509536368","title":"The Gig Economy","description":"\u003cp\u003eAll of a sudden, everybody’s talking about the gig economy. From taxi drivers to pizza deliverers to the unemployed, we are all aware of the huge changes that it is driving in our lives as workers, consumers and citizens.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is the first comprehensive overview of this highly topical subject. Drawing upon years of research, stories from gig workers, and a review of the key trends and debates, Jamie Woodcock and Mark Graham shed light on how the gig economy came to be, how it works and what it’s like to work in it. They show that, although it has facilitated innovative new services and created jobs for millions, it is not without cost. It allows businesses and governments to generate value while passing significant risk and responsibility onto the workers that make it possible. This is not, however, an argument for turning back the clock. Instead, the authors outline four strategies that can produce a fairer platform economy that works for everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWoodcock and Graham’s critical introduction will be essential reading for students, scholars and general readers interested in the massive shifts that characterize our modern digital economy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56302196130165,"sku":"9781509536368","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781509536368_34f9eb92-2ee2-47a2-bb42-2368eeeca49c.jpg?v=1786021657"},{"product_id":"9781529205640","title":"Guerrilla Democracy","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe liberating promise of big data and social media to create more responsive democracies and workplaces is overshadowed by a nightmare of election meddling, privacy invasion, fake news and an exploitative gig economy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet, while regressive forces spread disinformation and hate, 'guerrilla democrats' continue to foster hope and connection through digital technologies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book offers an in-depth analysis of platform-based radical movements, from the online coalitions of voters and activists to the Deliveroo and Uber strikes. Combining cutting edge theories with empirical research, it makes an invaluable contribution to the emerging literature on the relationship between technology and society.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303776137589,"sku":"9781529205640","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529205640_bc7fc469-1825-4754-a377-072547de5514.jpg?v=1786022468"},{"product_id":"9781839767104","title":"Troublemaking","description":"There has been an explosion of organising among workers many assumed to be unorganisable, from delivery drivers in London to tech workers in Silicon Valley. The culmination of years of conversations on picket lines, in community centres, and in union offices, with workers in Britain, the US, India, Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, and across Europe, \u003ci\u003eTroublemaking\u003c\/i\u003e brings together lessons from around the world. Precarious workers waste collectors in Mumbai show that no worker is \"unorganisable\", cleaner organising at LSE and St Mary's hospital in London and Sans-papier workers in France indicate that demanding more at work can lead to big wins. Struggles like The Water Wars in Cochabamba, Bolivia show how we can use our power beyond the workplace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom these movements, Lydia Hughes and Jamie Woodcock draw a number of lessons about why organising at work is the first step in building another world. They put forward three principles for organising. First, the need for action. Struggles can change the world, but they also change people who go through them. Rather than using action as a last resort, we need action to build a movement. Second, the need to build the rank-and-file of unions. Power comes from organising at work, not in trusting others to do it on our behalf. Third, democracy matters in organising. This is not only about winning, but also developing the confidence to build another kind of world. This is not a \"how to\" guide, but a set of principles for the politics of organising.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56307666157941,"sku":"9781839767104","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781839767104_b8b7ff24-d94f-43f4-8b2e-d3fcb185da73.jpg?v=1786027876"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-jamie-woodcock.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}