Emotions at Work In Turbulent Times

Over the past few decades, economic, organizational, and cultural changes have reshaped work and the way it is collectively experienced. The managerialization of organizations, the spread of digital technologies, rising precarization and informalization, and sociodemographic shifts such as ageing workforces, the feminization of labour, and more varied career paths have all brought greater attention to the emotional side of work.

Emotions are not only individual experiences; they are also part of how work is organized, performed, and lived. From formal professional settings to precarious and informal ones, the way emotions are expressed, regulated, and managed affects workplace interactions, the way work gets done, and the formation of professional identities. In times of instability and rapid change, this makes emotions a useful way into questions of power, organizational culture, control and resistance, and the changing nature of work.

The session welcomes empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions from sociology and related fields. Possible topics include emotional norms and feeling rules; the uneven distribution of emotional labour by gender, class, race, and age; emotions in precarious, platform, and care work; emotions as instruments of control and as resources for resistance and solidarity; and the methodological challenges of studying emotions empirically. Studies from diverse national and sectoral contexts, including comparative ones, are especially welcome. By placing emotions at the centre, the session contributes to a global sociology of work in turbulent times, attentive to how instability is experienced and acted upon across different contexts.