Disciplining discourses on the future:

Societal discussions on work '4.0' and the example of logistics.

Abstract

English abstract.

The article examines the multi-layered discourse on so-called Work 4.0 via the example of logistics, an area where current changes in the world of work can be observed most prominently. Through everyday narratives, the ethnographic study investigates how female logistic workers reflect technical and corporate cultural changes in a logistics warehousing company as a pattern for interpreting social and technical change. Analytically, the 4.0 discourse is seen as part of a neoliberal dispositive and functionally interpreted as disciplining. Empirically, the study is based on qualitative interviews and media texts, which are analysed using narrative research methodologies. With its focus on technological change and aspects of corporate culture, the research contributes to the integration of culture and technology studies, and the ethnographic study of work cultures.