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Seeking a Discussant for ON-LINE conference session entitled, "Karl Marx and Max Weber on the Topic of Machines Dominating Labour" for the 2nd RC20 Regional Conference on Comparative Sociology & the 1st RC56 Regional Conference on Historical Sociology & the 5th RC33 Regional Conference on Social Science Methodology: Asia in Khon Kaen,Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. The conference will be held from 24th to 28th August 2026.

I am organizing this session entitled, "Karl Marx and Max Weber on the Topic of Machines Dominating Labour" which has been published on the Sociology Group website.

See Here: https://www.sociologygroup.com/call-for-papers-karl-marx-and-max-weber-on-the-topic-of-machines-dominating-labour

There are two speakers for the session and a full hour to present online. The conference organizers suggested I invite a Discussant to join the session to help fill half an hour. 

This is an invitation to be a Discussant for this session.  There are two speakers. One is a student from the University of Himachal Pradesh, India and another is a speaker from the University of Vienna. As an organizer and host I cannot make a presentation. A Discussant would help us talk about how Weber and Marx had different approaches regarding what happens when machines dominate human labor. Weber worried about the Machine State, but had little advice on how to overcome it. Marx saw alienation of people from themselves, their work and nature as the outcome -  and also that labor's worth was reduced to zero. Marx offered the utopian idea that as labor was freed from wage work people could spend time improving themselves and changing society. What we seem to see today is people underemployed and alienated from each other, from their work and from nature - spending time on social media to the enrichment of the tech giants ... 

If interested in being a Discussant please send a statement of interest/introduction to Noel Packard at: npac825@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to send questions. I look forward to hearing from you.