Participation as power struggle – researching the labour process in the residential child and youth care in Germany

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the theoretical stance within the BMBF-funded project "geste - Educational Aids as Work on the Common Good - Between Effect-Oriented Management and Equal Participation in Germany and England", focussing on the subproject of sociology of work. For approaching the working conditions of employees in residential child and youth care, the authors propose to understand participation in work as a power struggle. This perspective enables a critical stance concerning employees’ participation with regard to their working conditions that is discussed for the German case.