Maintaining our Sociological Commitments: Working with (and on) Labor in a Changing Economy

• In Event: 40464 - Application of Sociological Perspectives in the Development of Non-Academic Research

Abstract

In this presentation I will reflect on my work as a senior researcher in the technology and work program at the University of California Berkeley Labor Center. I will focus on two broad themes: first, my personal career trajectory maintaining a commitment to my academic scholarship even while officially transitioning outside of academia. Second, how the work that we do at the labor center itself navigates the tension between policy and academic research. A historical sociologist by training, my academic work has focused on labor struggles and exploitation in colonial India in the nineteenth century. I see the work I am doing with the labor center as continuing to answer the questions that animated my dissertation and research – simply focusing on a different time and place. In terms of our program, we work with unions, policymakers, advocates, and academics to provide expertise, share research, and engage the public on questions related to technology and the workplace. These issues have become increasingly urgent as we watch the proliferation of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies across almost every sector of the economy. In our work we are deeply committed to maintaining both academic objectivity and policy impact. I will use the case of a new research project we are carrying out to demonstrate how we navigate this tension. The project aims to deepen our understanding of the harms caused to workers from the deployment of technology in the workplace (task automation, algorithmic management, and electronic monitoring). Through my discussion of this project, I will share how we formulate our research questions, choose our methods, and plan our research products to speak to multiple audiences, adding value to a variety of different communities – unions, policymakers, and sociologists.

Author

• Mishal Khan, University of California-Berkeley