Bullshit Jobs
A Theory
Simon & Schuster · Print & ebook · May 7, 2019
From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences.
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- Who it’s for
- A playful challenge to meaningless work asks what we value in a job.
- Themes
- Meaningless work, Finance capitalism, Valuing creative and caring work
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
From David Graeber, the bestselling author of The Dawn of Everything and Debt—“a master of opening up thought and stimulating debate” (Slate)—a powerful argument against the rise of meaningless, unfulfilling jobs…and their consequences. Does your job make a meaningful contribution to the world? In the spring of 2013, David Graeber asked this question in a playful, provocative essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” It went viral.
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After one million online views in seventeen different languages, people all over the world are still debating the answer. There are hordes of people—HR consultants, communication coordinators, telemarketing researchers, corporate lawyers—whose jobs are useless, and, tragically, they know it. These people are caught in bullshit jobs. Graeber explores one of society’s most vexing and deeply felt concerns, indicting among other villains a particular strain of finance capitalism that betrays ideals shared by thinkers ranging from Keynes to Lincoln. “Clever and charismatic” (The New Yorker), Bullshit Jobs gives individuals, corporations, and societies permission to undergo a shift in values, placing creative and caring work at the center of our culture. This book is for everyone who wants to turn their vocation back into an avocation and “a thought-provoking examination of our working lives” (Financial Times).
Work Under Question
A playful challenge to meaningless work asks what we value in a job.
Come here for
- Questions about who benefits when work feels pointless
- A sharp argument about work, usefulness, and value
Expect
- A debate-stirring critique of finance capitalism
- A call to center creative and caring work
Where it sits
| Labor & Workforce | 56% |
|---|---|
| Labor & Industrial Relations | 26% |
| Workplace Culture | 21% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Workplace Culture
- Personal Success
- How Cultures Work
- Authors
- David Graeber
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster
- Published
- May 7, 2019
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Meaningless work · Finance capitalism · Valuing creative and caring work
- Reading lane
- Workplace Culture