The renewed interest in a widely acclaimed book on 'bullshit jobs'

A widely acclaimed book on 'bullshit jobs' is at the centre of renewed interest ever since the Covid-19-induced lockdown shone a spotlight on the nature of 'essential services'

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A bullshit job, as Graeber defines it, is “so completely pointless that even the person who has to perform it every day cannot convince himself there’s a good reason for him to be doing it”.

Shreegireesh Jalihal New Delhi

6 min read Last Updated : Jun 12 2020 | 9:53 PM IST

In 2013, a London School of Economics anthropologist David Graeber wrote an essay titled “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs”. The essay was an overnight sensation, raking in millions of hits, was translated into many languages and quotes from the article were graffitied across the London subway. The piece had at its heart an amusing observation: More and more people seem to be engaged in bullshit jobs.

Given the viral success of the essay, Graeber followed it up with a book in 2018 that explored the theme in greater depth. In 2020, ever since the Covid-19-induced lockdown shone a spotlight on

Topics : Coronavirus Lockdown jobs Work from home