Overview

In a world where physical labour seems to disappear from dominant public narratives, Embodied Labour offers an in-depth, interdisciplinary analysis of the bodily experiences of work and their significance as elements of European cultural heritage. This collection examines the physical dimension of labour across various European locations – from Estonian oil shale mines, through Norwegian ironworks, to State Agricultural Farms in Poland. Together, the chapters explore how the rhythms of physical labour shaped landscapes, identities, and communities, whilst also addressing issues of representation in museums, literature, and art, and the challenges of conveying bodily experiences to contemporary audiences. The authors challenge linear narratives about the development of work, showing that physical labour has not disappeared but rather changed its character – becoming less visible, more fragmented, and marginalised in public narratives. The volume restores dignity and significance to these experiences, treating the working body not merely as a tool of production but also as a carrier of memory, identity, and knowledge. Embodied Labour is of interest to students and scholars from various disciplines – from history and anthropology, through heritage studies, to philosophy – as well as anyone interested in the cultural, social, and historical dimensions of labour in Europe. Chapter 10 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International license.

Full Product Details

Author:   Marta Kurkowska-Budzan (Jagiellonian University, Poland) ,  Aleksandra Galasińska
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.530kg
ISBN:  

9781041073055

ISBN 10:   1041073054
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   25 November 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures List of Contributors 0. Introduction - Marta Kurkowska-Budzan and Aleksandra Galasińska 1. Landscape, Urban Gardening, and Aesthetics - Mateusz Salwa 2. Landscapes of labour. Laboured landscapes - Anu Printsmann 3. Scars of Labour – Everyday Injuries and Traditions of Healing in Foundries and Ironworks - Kirsi Salmi-Niklander 4. Brutally Forcing Them to Work Safely: A Vignette of Occupational Health and Safety at a Polish Hard Coal Mine in the 1960s - Grace Simpson 5. Mining in the Ironbridge Area of North Shropshire – Preservation of Memory and Language in a Post-Industrial Society - Esther Asprey and Aleksandra Galasińska 6. Wodensbyri Tea Break - Robert M. Francis 7. Women's Work in Mining: Narratives of Labour, Identity and Recognition - Marta Kurkowska-Budzan and Jakub Muchowski 8. Lost in Translation: Representations and Misinterpretations of Sensory Sensations at Norwegian Ironworks, 1750–1950 - Frank Mayer 9. Effort, Effect and the Assessment of Labour Bodies – Representations of Labour in State Agricultural Farms in Poland - Katarzyna Maniak 10. Dwelling Through Labour: Contribution to the Embodied History of State Farms in Socialist Poland - Justyna Szklarczyk 11. Behind Representation: Possibilities and Constraints of Displaying Corporeal Experience in Museums - Monica Favara Index

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Author Information

Marta Kurkowska-Budzan is a professor at the Faculty of History, Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Her research encompasses memory studies and oral history methodologies, Eastern European work and leisure culture practices, and the history of historiography. Aleksandra Galasińska is a professor of Discourse and Migration at the University of Wolverhampton. Her scholarship investigates the complex interrelationships between language, discourse, society, and identity formation, with particular emphasis on post-communist transitions and post-EU enlargement migration experiences.

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