Description

‘Guy Standing’s books have, over the years, pieced together a necessary political and intellectual agenda … His Politics of Time is a splendid and timely addition to this body of important work’ Yanis Varoufakis

Time has always been political. Throughout history, how we use our time has been defined and controlled by the powerful, and today is no exception. But we can reclaim control, and in this book, the pioneering economist Guy Standing shows us how.

The ancient Greeks organised time into five categories: work, labour, recreation, leisure and contemplation. Labour was onerous, whereas leisure was schole, and included participation in public life and lifelong education. Since the industrial revolution, our time has been shaped by capitalism, our jobs are supposed to provide all meaning in life, our time outside labour is considered simply ‘time off’, and politicians prioritise jobs above all other aspects of a good life.

Today, we are experiencing the age of chronic uncertainty. Mental illness is on the rise, some people are experiencing more time freedom while many others are having more and more of their time stolen from them, particularly the vulnerable and those in the precariat.

But there is a way forward. We can create a new politics of time, one that liberates us and helps save the planet, through strengthening real leisure and working together through commoning. We can retake control of our time, but we must do it together.

Publisher Review

Guy Standing’s books have, over the years, pieced together a necessary political and intellectual agenda for defending commons that are still standing, for re-commoning realms that privatisation has wrecked, for liberating workers from the morality of pious drudgery and, most importantly, for introducing a progressive version of basic income for all. His Politics of Time is a splendid and timely addition to this body of important work — Yanis Varoufakis Urgent and forensic, Guy Standing’s examination of our relationship with time is a not just an historical tour de force but a passionate call to action. His compelling arguments for a new progressive politics of time which reclaims time for commoning – shared and collaborative activity for the common good – culminate in an exhilarating final chapter setting out a practical manifesto for a Progressive Alliance Government. This is required reading for anyone concerned with how to build a better future — Caroline Lucas With his trademark panache, Guy Standing presents us with a whistlestop tour of time that is both enlightening, and in its current implications, frightening, until the final chapter! — Danny Dorling Innovative and thought-provoking as always, Guy Standing’s insights into how time is a deeply politicized and unequally distributed resource make compelling reading — Kate Pickett Why should “industrial time,” or labourism, dominate our lives, sowing stress, alienation, and mental illness, when we could live richer, more satisfying and integrated lives as commoners? Guy Standing has performed a great service in writing this political history of our experience of time. With clarity and rigor, he explains how capital has structured our time and culture – and how commoning in its many forms could emancipate our lives, consciousness, and communities — David Bollier A thrilling and radical manifesto which seeks to rehabilitate the ancient Greek concept of schole (or purposeful leisure) for a new age — Tom Hodgkinson