Remote Work and the Everyday Politics of Care: Gender, Place, and Digital Labour in Italy

Abstract (English)

This article examines emerging forms of remote and digital work in Italy, focusing on initiatives such as South Working and coworking hubs that promote values of ‘inclusion’, ‘diversity’, and ‘local regeneration’. Often framed as tools for territorial revitalization and social sustainability, these practices also challenge traditional ideas about labor, gender roles, caregiving and life rhythms by revisiting not only where we work, but also how we work and who is working. Drawing on ethnographic research, including online interviews, social media observations, testimonies of three women engaged in South Working, and personal dialogue with grassroots initiatives, the study explores how digital work practices open up possibilities for reimagining work through slower rhythms, proximity, and compatibility with caregiving. While digital labor enables new forms of professional agency, it simultaneously encounters persistent gender norms, especially in contexts where conventional ideas of work, care, and community prevail. At the core of the analysis is the concept of rooted digitalism, an alternative to the dominant imagery of hypermobility and digital nomadism. Rather than embracing constant movement, many remote workers aim to anchor their professional lives in specific places, balancing flexibility with local attachments and care responsibilities. The article argues that digital work can reconfigure the boundaries between work and life, allowing for more rooted and relational forms of labor. However, it also reveals contradictions and constraints, especially for those navigating traditional socio-cultural expectations. These initiatives and practices show that the digitalization of work is not merely a form of technological determinism, but a contested space where actors actively negotiate new meanings of gender, labor, and belonging. Rooted digitalism thus emerges as both a lived reality and a critical lens for understanding the everyday politics of care in the evolving digital labor landscape.