Care Work is the New Code: DisCOs, the Future of Work, and the Re-enchantment of Labor

Imagine a future where work is no longer a source of dread, but a wellspring of fulfillment. Where the relentless grind of the gig economy gives way to a more balanced and meaningful relationship with labor. This isn’t some utopian fantasy; it’s a future being coded right now, line by line, by a network of pioneering organizations known as DisCOs – Distributed Cooperative Organizations. And the code they’re writing? It’s the language of care.

The Crisis of the Capitalist Assemblage: Work in the Age of Disenchantment

For centuries, the capitalist assemblage has treated labor as a commodity, a resource to be extracted and exploited for the purpose of profit maximization. The factory floor, the office cubicle, the gig platform – these are the cages within which the human spirit has been confined, reduced to a cog in the machine of capital accumulation.

This model, however, is showing cracks. The rise of automation, fueled by AI and robotics, threatens to displace millions of workers, leaving them adrift in a sea of precarity and economic insecurity. The gig economy, with its promise of flexibility, often delivers only exploitation, as workers find themselves trapped in a cycle of low wages, long hours, and a constant struggle for survival. The state assemblage, meanwhile, often exacerbates the crisis, enacting policies that prioritize the interests of capital over the well-being of workers, dismantling social safety nets, and reinforcing the logic of individual responsibility in a world of systemic inequality.

But amidst this landscape of disenchantment, a seed of hope is taking root. A new generation of workers, raised on the ideals of collaboration, social justice, and work-life balance, are rejecting the old paradigm. They are seeking a future where work is not just a means to an end, but a source of meaning, purpose, and creative expression. And they are finding a blueprint for this new world in the emerging DisCO movement.

DisCOs and the Postcapitalist Assemblage: Re-enchanting Work Through Care

DisCOs are more than just businesses; they are post-capitalist assemblages, vibrant networks of individuals and technologies working together to build a more equitable and sustainable economy. They understand that the future of work is not about replacing humans with machines, but about re-imagining our relationship with labor, recognizing its inherent value beyond its ability to generate profit. And at the heart of this re-enchantment lies the concept of care.

Care work, traditionally marginalized and undervalued by the capitalist assemblage, encompasses a wide range of activities that contribute to the well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet. It includes caring for children, the elderly, and the sick, but also teaching, mentoring, creating art, protecting the environment, building community, and nurturing the social fabric that binds us together. By centering care work, DisCOs are challenging the fundamental assumptions of the capitalist economy, creating a new economic paradigm based on cooperation, solidarity, and a recognition of our interdependence.

Here are a few key strategies DisCOs are deploying to re-enchant labor through care:

1. Value Flows Accounting: Redefining Value Beyond the Market

DisCOs recognize that the traditional metrics of economic success – profit, GDP, shareholder value – fail to capture the true value of work. They are developing alternative accounting systems that measure and reward the diverse contributions of their members, including care work, lovework (pro-bono work for the commons), and the social reproduction that sustains life and well-being.

2. Balanced Job Complexes: From Specialization to Holistic Engagement

DisCOs are breaking down the rigid division of labor that characterizes the capitalist assemblage, creating more balanced and fulfilling job complexes. These complexes allow individuals to engage in a mix of activities, blending livelihood work (paid work for the market or for the commons), lovework, and care work, fostering a sense of purpose and preventing burnout.

3. Timebanking: A Currency of Reciprocity and Shared Skills

DisCOs are experimenting with timebanking as an alternative currency, enabling members to exchange their skills and services directly with each other, using time as the unit of exchange. This fosters a culture of reciprocity, encourages the sharing of knowledge, and allows individuals to access services they might not otherwise be able to afford.

4. Shorter Workweek: Time for Care, Creativity, and Community

DisCOs are advocating for a shorter workweek, recognizing that reducing work hours is essential for creating a more balanced and fulfilling life. This allows individuals to dedicate more time to caregiving responsibilities, pursue their passions, engage in community building, and nurture their own well-being, essential for the flourishing of the Postcapitalist Assemblage.

The Five Assemblages: A DisCO Remix of Work and Care

The DisCO revolution is not about creating an isolated utopia; it’s about transforming existing power structures and re-imagining our relationship with work and care across the five onto-political assemblages:

1. Territorial Assemblage: Rooted in Place, Connected to the Global

DisCOs, while embracing the global reach of technology and the nomadic potential of the digital age, are deeply rooted in the territorial assemblage. They prioritize local production, community resilience, and the revitalization of regional economies, creating livelihoods that are both sustainable and fulfilling.

2. State Assemblage: From Welfare State to Partner State

DisCOs challenge the state assemblage to move beyond its traditional role as a regulator of the market and a provider of social safety nets. They advocate for a “partner state” that actively supports the creation of commons, invests in social reproduction, and promotes policies that empower communities and workers to build a more equitable and sustainable economy.

3. Capitalist Assemblage: Subverting the Logic of Extraction

DisCOs confront the capitalist assemblage’s extractive logic by creating alternative business models based on cooperation, shared ownership, and the production of common goods. They utilize open-source software, ethical sourcing practices, and alternative currencies to build a more generative economy, one that enriches both people and the planet.

4. Nomadic Assemblage: Weaving Transnational Networks of Solidarity

DisCOs embrace the fluidity and interconnectedness of the nomadic assemblage, building transnational networks of solidarity and exchange. They utilize digital technologies to connect with like-minded organizations and individuals around the world, sharing knowledge, resources, and best practices to create a global DisCO movement.

5. Postcapitalist Assemblage: Coding a Future of Abundance and Care

DisCOs are actively constructing the postcapitalist assemblage, piece by piece, code by code. Their vision is a world where the economy serves the needs of people and the planet, where work is a source of meaning and purpose, and where care work is recognized as the essential foundation of a just and thriving society.

The Re-enchantment of Labor: A Posthumanist Perspective

The DisCO vision for the future of work is inspiring, but it also requires a critical lens. A posthumanist perspective, as articulated by thinkers like Rosi Braidotti, reminds us that we must move beyond anthropocentric assumptions and recognize the complex entanglements between humans, technology, and the natural world. This entails:

• Deconstructing the Human-Machine Binary: While DisCOs embrace technology as a tool for empowerment and collaboration, we must critically examine its potential to reproduce capitalist logics and reinforce existing power dynamics. We need to ensure that technology serves the needs of the collective, rather than dictating its values and goals.
• Challenging Gendered Divisions of Labor: While DisCOs value care work, we must be cautious of simply reinscribing traditional gender roles. A posthumanist approach to care requires a more nuanced and equitable distribution of responsibilities, recognizing the fluidity of identities and the need to move beyond binary categorizations.
• Embracing a More-Than-Human Perspective: The DisCO focus on social and ecological justice is crucial, but it must also acknowledge the interconnectedness and interdependence of all beings. A posthumanist perspective reminds us that the well-being of humans is inextricably linked to the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants.

A Call to Action: Join the DisCO Revolution, Recode the Future of Work

The DisCO movement is a seed of hope in a world increasingly dominated by the anxieties of automation, the precarity of the gig economy, and the extractive logic of capitalism. By embracing the language of care, fostering a more balanced and fulfilling relationship with work, and creating new opportunities for livelihoods that contribute to the common good, DisCOs are paving the way towards a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.

Join the DisCO revolution! Explore the websites and resources of existing DisCOs, connect with their members, and discover how you can contribute to building a world where work is re-enchanted, and care is the new code. The future of work is unwritten, but the DisCOs are showing us that a different path is possible, a path towards personal and collective flourishing. It’s time to re-code the future, one line of care at a time.