Unfreedom in labour relations: from a politics of rescue to a politics of solidarity?

In this introduction to the Special Forum we seek to explore the possibilities for challenging labor unfreedoms through exercising solidarity. We critique the prevailing framings and dominant politics of ‘combatting modern-day slavery’ – or what we refer to here as contemporary abolitionism.We argue that questions of coercion, control, and confinement are nonetheless increasingly pertinent to the analysis of contemporary labor relations and labor regimes. This leads us to reflect on how we might better conceptualise the many forms of unfreedom that are imposed on working people. We then explore the possibilities for a liberatory politics of solidarity that might challenge such unfreedoms. Finally, we summarise how the articles in the Special Forum engage with existing debates, and point us in new and fruitful directions for the task of confronting - intellectually and politically - the ways that contemporary labour relations are variously structured by unfreedoms.