Activity or Wage Labour? Let's engage a controversy about the notion of labour
The notion of work as an activity has opened up a new epistemological perspective for the analysis of work in France. This article examines the consequences this perspective has on two major work issues : its dynamics and the way in which standards apply to it. The article also examines the political perspectives opened up by this project. The reflection is based on a confrontation of this notion with that of the wage relation program as it was initiated by Pierre Naville and developed by Pierre Rolle. This program focuses on very different, and even contradictory, objects and results, and we believe that it is useful to examine it in light of current proposals made by activity researchers. As a result, it is an invitation to engage in a debate, within the field of sociology, whose necessity emerges particularly when questioning the political project of each proposal. These two projects also assign their respective purposes to research. While the positions are irreconcilable, it is nevertheless essential that they be made explicit if we wish to better understand what is being done when analyzing work.