In a recent issue of Labor, Salem Elzway and Jason Resnikoff published an article that gives all workers insights into this ongoing deployment of a term, and its history. “Whence Automation? The History (and Possible Futures) of a Concept” Labor: Studies in Working-Class History.
An interview featuring Salem Elzway is available from KPFA’s Against the Grain, Take a listen as Elzway works through the implications of the essay . It’s an hour long interview and well worth your time, and pass it along.
Salem Elzway emphasizes the political dimensions of automation, including how it’s been used against workers, and how the discourse of automation has been deployed by elites.
The essay, which would make a great essay for undergraduates and labor education programs is here: Salem Elzway and Jason Resnikoff, “Whence Automation? The History (and Possible Futures) of a Concept” Labor: Studies in Working-Class History
And here is Labor Online’s interview:
