The "end of work" between neoliberalism and "liquid" society. The role of education in the face of new inequalities

Abstract

Despite the importance of Rifkin (1997) and Aronowitz’s (2006) essays, today’s situation seems to be different from what they described; the current labor crisis is determined by factors such as the delocalisations and technological innovations that characterize the fourth industrial revolution. The transformation of contemporary China was probably the event that initiated decisive changes for the genesis of the current “chaos” (Arrighi, 1996; 2008). Government policies still anchored to the neoliberal paradigm are negative factors in the global economic and political situation. “Risk” and “liquidity” are the characteristics of the current condition of workers and their consequences are also perceived on the level of human education (Sève, 1973). The contemporary crisis requires new proposals, both in economic policies and in anthropological and pedagogical perspectives based on the analyses and criticisms mentioned here.