Just Work. By Russell Muirhead. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2004. 224p. $24.95.

“Once at the center of political and social theory,” writes Russell Muirhead, “work now stands at the margins” (p. 13). A simple observation, but an astute one. While the constitution of “identity” has become a focal point for contemporary political theorists, few go beyond discussions of cultural affiliation. Yet most of us spend the majority of our waking hours at some form of work. That our relationship with our productive activity was a crucial component of our identity was a key theme of Marx's writings, while Hegel, among others, noted how our need to work also shaped our social maturity. Why, then, do we now spend so little effort at thinking about whether our work is well suited for us or not? And how ought one go about evaluating the justice of “work” in the first place?