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Josefine Lykkegaard

Ph.d. Fellow

Emner
Ansættelsesforhold Arbejdsmiljø Demokrati Politik Arbejdsmarked Filosofi

Primary research areas

Philo­sophy of Work and Ali­en­a­tion
I ex­plore how philo­soph­ic­al tra­di­tions con­cep­tu­al­ize ali­en­a­tion and rooted­ness in mod­ern work life, mov­ing bey­ond ex­ist­en­tial per­spect­ives to ex­am­ine how in­sti­tu­tions struc­ture mean­ing­ful par­ti­cip­a­tion.
Hegel­i­an In­sti­tu­tion­al The­ory
I in­vest­ig­ate Hegel’s concept of eth­ic­al life as a frame­work for un­der­stand­ing how so­ci­et­al in­sti­tu­tions can foster free­dom, rooted­ness, and so­cial in­teg­ra­tion through work, em­phas­iz­ing their role in coun­ter­act­ing pre­car­ity and ali­en­a­tion
Norm­at­ive Polit­ic­al Philo­sophy and Work
I aim to de­vel­op a norm­at­ive ac­count of how in­sti­tu­tions should be de­signed to foster mean­ing­ful work and rooted­ness, con­trib­ut­ing to de­bates on gov­ernance, so­cial trans­formation, and the fu­ture of work.

I draw on philo­sophy to re­think work as a site of free­dom, mean­ing, and rooted­ness

My research investigates how institutions can address one of the central challenges of our time: the growing alienation of work. Drawing on philosophy, especially Hegel’s theory of institutions, I explore how work can become not only a source of income but also a foundation for freedom, meaningfulness, and rootedness.  

I focus on how labour market institutions and workplace governance can be structured to counter precarity and create meaningful forms of participation. Rather than reducing work to individual fulfillment, my approach highlights the normative role of institutions in shaping the conditions under which work contributes to both personal identity and collective life.  

Through this research, I aim to contribute to debates on the future of work, democratic organization, and social transformation. My ambition is to develop frameworks that help policymakers, organizations, and unions rethink how institutions can sustain rootedness and counter alienation in contemporary society.