5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Global economic crisis and intensifying climate change have put humanity under increasing pressure, threatening our and the planet’s very survival. Struggles against exploitation are intensifying in the workplace characterised by more and more precarious labour not only in the Global South but also the Global North. Additionally, the destructive dynamics of capitalist accumulation are also contested within the sphere of social reproduction over access to basic necessities such as water, clean air and housing. Heat stress becomes a central issue for workers in countries with high temperatures, reducing productivity and posing health risks to workers.

Historically, labour movements have played a crucial role in defending the interests of working people. The purpose of this panel is to enquire about the shape of the labour movement for the 21^st century in view of these novel challenges. Is it enough to equate labour movements with formal, institutionalised trade unions, as it has often been done in the past? Is there progress of unions engaging with associations of informal workers and with self employed workers? In which ways is the often ambiguous relation between peasant and worker movements subject to change? How should we conceptualise struggles for gender and racial justice or struggles against environmental destruction? Are these struggles linked with workplace based struggles and, if so, how, or are they simply parallel developments? Finally, what should be the form and contents of the labour movement for the 21^st century, able to ensure humanity’s survival?