Future of Work and Care Symposium
Friday 3rd May 2024 - University of Melbourne & online
The intersections and regimes of work and care have been significantly disrupted by COVID-19. With recent
technological development and artificial intelligence, the world of work and personal life are more complex to
manage and blend, and individuals face many challenges. As we recover and imagine how to rebuild our
economies, industries and communities, it seems timely to consider the practices, tensions and ways forward in
the future of work and care.
This symposium aims to explore research and policy debate around the conceptual and lived experience of work
and care in Australia. It is energised by questions: Who will we be in years to come? What approaches to ‘care’
should we consider? How can we create an equitable future of work and care?
The symposium will include, but not be limited to, the following issues and themes:
● AI and the future of work
● Industries, paid work and care
● The Care Economy: aged, disability, childcare and early learning sectors
● Approaches to, and resistances to, human care in the workplace
● Emotional landscapes of work and care
● Intersectional approaches to work and care
● Parental leave policy and return to work practices during COVID-19
● Theoretical issues in studying the future of work and care − particularly for intersectional, feminist and queer
theory
The symposium will be held on 3rd May 2024 at accessible venues on the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus. It will be a hybrid event.
Submission
Please send an abstract of up to 200 words to Lutfun Nahar Lata or Yinghua Yu (l.lata@unimelb.edu.au;
Yinghua.yu@westernsydney.edu.au) by
10th April 2024.
Please include your institutional affiliation(s), contact details and a brief bio (50 words max) with your preferred pronouns (e.g., she/her, he/him,they/them).
We kindly request that participants use inclusive language in their papers (see APA 7th Edition bias-free language). We plan to publish a journal special issue or an edited book based on the presentations of this symposium.
A limited number of support bursaries of up to $500 are available for postgraduate students, casual, and/or
unwaged researchers who are members of TASA to support accommodation, travel, carer’s costs, or
related expenses. To apply for a support bursary, please include with your abstract a brief statement
outlining the support costs you are seeking (up to $500), and how the support bursary would assist in your
participation (max 100 words).
Participants will be notified of the outcome of their submissions by 16 April 2024 and the program and
further details will be circulated ahead of the event.
Registration fees
Please note - the following fees are indicative only; the fees are contingent upon final numbers.
• One day registration options - ($50 for waged TASA members**, $70 for non-TASA members and $20 for
casual workers and postgraduate students)
• FREE registration for select key participants and bursary recipients, to ensure accessibility
• FREE registration for those participating virtually
** Details of TASA membership costs and options are available on the TASA website.
Registration will include lunch + afternoon tea.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
For questions or inquiries please contact l.lata@unimelb.edu.au
TASA Sociology of Work, Labour and Economy Thematic Group co-convenors: Sheree Gregory, Lutfun
Nahar Lata and Yinghua Yu