Rappresentazioni del lavoro e immaginazione sociologica. Per un uso della letteratura utopica

This paper deals with the question of the possible use by sociology of work of objects as songs, photos, screenplays, films, comics, poems, drawings, paintings, novels. Restricting attention to literature, the contributions dealing with its relationship with sociology and sociological research are reviewed. While agreeing in principle with the solution of Florian Znaniecki of a usefulness of literature as proposer and illustrator of issues, it is highlighted the potential of recognizing it as a research item precisely because it is a product of imagination. It is therefore proposed to study how utopian literature represents work. Considering this kind of literature allows to plot the plurality of ideas around and on work, highlighting how the work remains a central issue in defining the relationships among social actors.