Imperialist and sexist systems of control are imprinted in the way society thinks about, and acts around, labor. Be it how we work, how we give birth, or how we use our bodies in order to make money, we carry traces of labor exploitation and social privilege in our sweat. Almost inevitably, our professional choices determine our lifestyle, our careers define who we are, and our success (or lack thereof) assigns us a place in society.
Which queer feminist strategies help us challenge the oppressive working dynamics of patriarchal neo-liberalism? What are the socio-political implications of unpaid care work, mail-order brides, and child labor? Have any of you experienced orgasmic birth? Have you ever felt trapped in an unending loop of internships? What defines sex work? What does “having it all” mean? What does it feel like to be “fulfilled”?
In COVEN BERLIN’s new issue, LABOR OR LABOR, we are not going to work too hard to answer these questions. Instead we’ll have labor parties and co-working sessions, and as always we’ll invite you all to submit your imperfect craft and unprofessional writing (hello[at]covenberlin.com). You COVEN BERLIN readers make up the queer underground market, the share economy, the feminist work force. You don’t need to laboriously toil in order to make it happen. Share your expertise! Werk?