This talk will explore the possible relationships between global economic restructuring and the emergence of new politics of family, gender, and sexuality. The rise of “service economies” in many forms around the world has had profound implications for individual life courses and the normative genders attached to them. Why is this, and what can we learn from it?

Gabriel Winant is assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago. His main interests include the history of work and class, political economy, and social policy. His prize-winning first book, The Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America, was published by Harvard University Press in 2021 and offered a new account of the origins and meaning of the transition from industrial to service work in the United States.

The Center for Cultural Studies hosts a weekly Wednesday colloquium featuring work by faculty and visitors. We gather at 12:00 PM, with presentations beginning at 12:15 PM. Staff assistance is provided by The Humanities Institute.