From Marx’s alienation to Han’s burnout society: fantasy and reality of precarious workers

Abstract

In this article, we will try to highlight some elements of the alienation process, according to Marx’s criticism, emphasizing its unfolding in Han’s proposal, which shows the current character and relevance of the theme. Thus, we will deal with the concept of alienation developed by Marx, especially when he explores the process of dissociation of individual and his nature through work. After that, we will outline some contributions by Han, who takes up the concept of alienation by proposing that the deinstitutionalized labor relations, created by the contemporary neoliberal and globalized market, result in burnout society, marked by the logic of alienation of the worker’s own subjectivity in a process of self-exploration and efficiency. Finally, more than addressing the removal and loss of self in the production process via work, we will use a portrait of work and its actors, who, subjected, believe in alleged freedom brought by precarious working conditions.