This volume addresses the long-standing neglect of the category of labour in critical social theory and it presents a powerful case for a new paradigm based on the anthropological significance of work and its role in shaping social bonds.

Nicholas H. Smith is Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on hermeneutics and critical social theory, including Strong Hermeneutics (1997) and Charles Taylor (2002).
Jean-Philippe Deranty is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University, Sydney. He has published extensively on critical social theory, including Beyond Communication. A Critical Study of Axel Honneth's Social Philosophy (Brill 2009).