Embodied Labour: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Work's Cultural Heritage in Modern Europe

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Marta Kurkowska-Budzan (Jagiellonian University, Poland) Aleksandra Galasińska

Embodied Labour

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Work's Cultural Heritage in Modern Europe

Marta Kurkowska-Budzan (Jagiellonian University, Poland), Aleksandra Galasińska

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English

Routledge
26 November 2025

European history; Social & cultural history; Sociology: work & labour; Economic history

Series: Routledge Studies in Cultural History

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.

Edited by: Marta Kurkowska-Budzan (Jagiellonian University Poland), Aleksandra Galasińska
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781041073055
ISBN 10: 1041073054
Series: Routledge Studies in Cultural History
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 26 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

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.