TY - BOOK AU - Boland,Tom AU - Boland,Tom AU - Griffin,Ray TI - The Reformation of Welfare: The New Faith of the Labour Market SN - 9781529211320 PY - 2021/// CY - Bristol PB - Bristol University Press KW - Economics KW - Religious aspects KW - Christianity KW - Employment (Economic theory) KW - Welfare state KW - History KW - Économie politique KW - Aspect religieux KW - Christianisme KW - Emploi KW - État providence KW - Histoire KW - fast KW - Social and ethical issues KW - thema KW - Social discrimination & inequality KW - Social discrimination and social justice KW - Social issues & processes KW - SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General KW - bisacsh KW - Social services and welfare, criminology KW - Social welfare and social services KW - Society & culture: general KW - Society and culture: general KW - Society and Social Sciences KW - Sociology and anthropology KW - Sociology: work and labour KW - Sociology KW - Welfare and benefit systems KW - Economic theology KW - Governmentality KW - Irrational rationality KW - Jobseeking KW - Welfare N1 - Free-to-read N2 - "Western culture has 'faith' in the labour market as a test of the worth of each individual. For those who are out of work, welfare is now less of a support than a means of purification and redemption. Continuously reformed by the left and right in politics, the contemporary welfare state attempts to transform the unemployed into active jobseekers, punishing non-compliance. Drawing on ideas from economic theology, this provocative book uncovers deep-rooted religious concepts and shows how they continue to influence contemporary views of work and unemployment: Jobcentres resemble purgatory where the unemployed attempt to redeem themselves, jobseeking is a form of pilgrimage in hope of salvation, and the economy appears as providence, whereby trials and tribulations test each individual. This book will be essential reading for those interested in the sociology and anthropology of modern economic life. Chapters 1 and 3 are available Open Access via OAPEN under CC-BY-NC-ND licence." UR - https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/48791 ER -