Theories and Praxis of Digital Labour: The Fault Lines in Digital Capitalism

The work of this group has two goals: First, we revisit major theoretical breakthroughs from the past four decades related to digital capitalism, the (re)composition of the working class, the knowledge and creative economy, and the history of automation. We aim to identify persistent structural forces of capitalism that continue to shape the digital economy and labor struggles, and to explore new analytical perspectives that may have received less attention in recent scholarly enthusiasm for studying platform-based labour (e.g., delivery services). Secondly, we connect theories with the praxis of digital labor by engaging with non-academic community members, such as worker-led collectives and artists. Through community engagement, we hope to identify viable ways for our research to make meaningful contributions to these communities.

Leads

Faculty Members, University of Toronto

  • Julie Yujie Chen, UTM ICCIT
  • Priyank Chandra, Faculty of Information
  • Nicole Cohen, UTM ICCIT
  • Alessandro Delfanti, UTM ICCIT
  • Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Computer Science
  • Nusrat Jahan Mim, Architecture
  • Beverley Mullings, Geography & Planning

Faculty Members Outside University of Toronto

  • Matheus Viana Braz, Psychology, State University of Maringá, Brazil
  • Ergin Bulut, Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
  • Natalie Coulter, Communication and Media Studies, York University, Canada
  • Ricardo Festi, Sociology, University of Brasilia, Brazil
  • Hannah Johnston, Human Resources, York University, Canada
  • Tanner Mirrlees, Communications & Digital Media Studies, Ontario Tech University, Canada
  • Greig de Peuter, Communication Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
  • Marc Steinberg, Film Studies, Concordia University, Canada
  • Veronica Uribe del Aguila, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

Postdoctoral Researchers

  • Kim Fernandes, Information, UofT
  • Daphne Idiz, UTSC Arts, Culture and Media, UofT
  • Gianmarco Peterlongo, Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
  • Daniel Rios, Communication, Fluminense University, Brazil
  • Godwin Simon, UTSC Arts, Culture and Media, UofT

Independent Researchers

  • Andre Campos Rocha
  • Federico De Stavola

Graduate Students, University of Toronto

  • Cate Alexander, Information
  • Upasana Bhattacharjee, Information
  • Maria Larissa D. Moura Cabral, International Visiting Graduate Student, Information
  • Maya Campo, Geography
  • Muntasir Chowdhury, Anthropology
  • Hiu Fung Chung, Information
  • Isabella Jaimes Rodriguez, Information
  • Aditi Jain,
  • Lauren Knight, Information
  • Tiago Lopes, International Visiting Graduate Student, Information
  • Kaushar Mahetaji, Information
  • Kevin Park, Sociology
  • Jul Jeonghyun Parke, Information
  • Ashique Ali Thuppilikkat, Information
  • Lee Youngrong, Sociology
  • Yizhou Zhang, Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies

Graduate Students, Outside University of Toronto

  • Elena Altheman, Film and Moving Image Studies, Concordia University, Canada
  • Ananya, Film and Moving Image Studies, Concordia University, Canada
  • Jaehoon Bae, Sociology, U. of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Fabiana Benedito,  Communication & Contemporary Culture, Federal U. of Bahia, Brazil
  • Amanda Thuns Biazzi, Psychology, State U. of Maringa, Brazil
  • Pedro Basso de Figueiredo, Sociology, Federal U. of Parana, Brazil
  • Victoria Fleming, Communications & Culture, York U., Canada
  • Diego dos Santos Moura Gonçalves, Sociology, U. of Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Julieta Grasas, Sociology, U. of Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Guilherme Guilherme, Federal U. of Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Malcolm Katrak, Law, York U., Canada
  • Farhan Latif, Sustainability Management, U. of Waterloo, Canada
  • Felipe Gomes Mano, Law, State U. of Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Maria Daniela Carneiro Gouveia De Melo, Management, Federal U. of Pernambuco, Brazil
  • Laxana Paskaran, Gender, Feminist & Womens Studies, York U., Canada
  • Leopoldo Pedro Neto, Journalism, Federal U. of St. Catarina, Brazil
  • Daniel Nielsen, Charles U., Czech Republic
  • Daniel Schneiß, Weizenbaum Institute, Germany

Undergraduate Students, University of Toronto

  • Joao Pedro De Souza Domingues, Economics
  • Emma Hwang, Geography /Sociology
  • Shafeen Rahman, Philosophy