Lectures 2024 Nancy Fraser Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele

Lectures 2024 Nancy Fraser

Three Faces of Capitalist Labor – Capitalism, Labor and Inequalities of Gender, Race and Class

8–10 May 2024

The eighth edition of the Rotelli Lectures at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University welcomed Nancy Fraser, American philosopher and feminist theorist, Professor of Political and Social Science at the New School for Social Research in New York, for a series of five lectures entitled Three Faces of Capitalist Labor: Uncovering the Hidden Ties among Gender, Race, and Class.

Through a critical examination of contemporary capitalism, Fraser explored the connections between labor, economic inequality and social discrimination, investigating how divisions of gender, race and class are deeply intertwined with the structural mechanisms of the capitalist system.

Lecture themes: capitalism, labor and new perspectives on emancipation

The five lectures focused on a critical reassessment of capitalism that moves beyond the traditional identification of labor with paid employment, encompassing the multiple forms of activity, often invisible or undervalued, that sustain the economic and social system.

The series began with the concept of "cannibal capitalism", through which Fraser examined the contradictions of a system that, in pursuing economic growth, tends to consume and undermine the very social and material resources on which it depends. Building on this perspective, she explored three fundamental forms of capitalist labor: exploited wage labor, expropriated labor, and care and social-reproductive work, which is frequently unpaid or insufficiently recognised.

The analysis highlighted how these forms of labor are structurally interconnected and how their organisation contributes to producing and reinforcing inequalities of class, race and gender. The distinction between different forms of labor is not merely an economic issue, but also shapes patterns of social recognition and opportunities for political participation.

Another central theme concerned the history of labor movements and struggles for emancipation, with particular attention to divisions and missed opportunities for cooperation among trade unions, anti-racist movements and feminist organisations. Fraser then explored the possibility of building new alliances among different social groups in the twenty-first century, capable of overcoming fragmented demands and developing a shared project of social transformation.

The final lecture addressed William Morris's vision of emancipated labor, examining the possibility of rethinking work not merely as a productive activity, but also as a dimension of human fulfilment, creativity and freedom.

Bringing together political philosophy, critical theory and feminist philosophy, the series offered an interpretation of contemporary inequalities as deeply interconnected phenomena, highlighting the need to rethink labor and collective action in order to envision new possibilities for justice and social emancipation.