Služby a služebníci

We live in a service society, where the word service is one we use almost every day. Yet it is a word with many meanings, some of which contradict each other, as shown by the author in the first part of the book, dedicated to the genesis of services in European history, from the biblical concept of service to its implementation in institutions such as the state or the market. The second part of the book deals with the structure of contemporary service society. By describing the world of servants and maids since the beginning of modernity, the author explains why recent decades have seen what sociologists call the return of servants. Using abundant evidence, he shows that the future of service work will depend largely on the development of income and wealth disparities. The only difference is that while in the 19th century it was an influx of young women from the countryside that provided service to prosperous households, today this role is being assumed by female migrants from poor countries.