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A large workforce of the country remains invisible, voiceless, isolated, and its work without validity. In this book, Jan Breman fulfils the need to speak up on behalf of the massive working poor.’—ELA R. BHATT, Founder, Self Employed Women’s Association, India.

With labour being pushed out of agriculture, Jan Breman analyses why, when, and how the massive shift in production and employment came about. The book is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the past and present path of capitalism and dwells on the abominable condition of the unorganized workforce and the commodification of labour, familiarizing the reader with the concept of informality and its ramifications. The second part, a compilation of well-established, critical readings in the field by the author, elaborates on themes and issues introduced in the first part of the book. Drawing upon detailed field accounts and a critique of the informal sector at both analytical and empirical levels, the author examines different aspects of the labour regime that, in the past decades, has become dominant in the world at large, with serious consequences for the labouring poor in India.