REST AND RESISTANCE. REFLECTIONS ON THE CHRONOPOLITICS OF DISCONNECTION
by Nicolò Maria Ingarra
pp. 87-105 23 (12,1) – January-June 2025 ISSN (online): 2539/2239 ISSN (print): 2389-8232 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14718/SoftPower.2025.12.1.4
Abstract
This article explores the intricate intersections among labour, leisure, and rest, shedding light on the political stakes of the erosion of boundaries between professional and personal life in digital capitalism. It critically examines how digital technologies cultivate a culture of perpetual connectivity, framing rest as a tool for productivity rather than as a right. Drawing on insights from some feminist perspectives, the article reinterprets rest and disconnection as acts of political resistance that challenge capitalist chronopolitics, while also recognising their potential to be co-opted by neoliberal narratives. In this view, rest emerges not merely as a personal pursuit but as a shared resource and a collective act of defiance against capitalist exploitation, advocating for temporal justice. This original approach situates the right to disconnect within broader political struggles, emphasising its role in reimagining time as a commons rather than a commodity. The aim is to contribute to the ongoing discourse on rest and the right to disconnect as pivotal components of political emancipation and social justice in the digital age..