Soddisfazione di cantiere. Una riflessione antropologica sul rapporto tra fatica e oggetti tecnici nel contesto edile

Within the social sciences, the construction sector has received less interest than other industries, presenting the lack of systematic studies of this reality. Aiming to bring to the attention of contemporary anthropological debate one of the defining aspects of construction site, this paper seeks to reflect on a structuring relationship in the lives of small entrepreneurs and workers, namely that between fatigue, satisfaction and technical objects. In doing so, the article focuses on the embodiment of a working habitus characterized by perceived fatigue and pride in one’s work, and how this intervenes in the relationship with tools and machinery. While the development of technical objects has reduced effort, the human component remains crucial given the centrality of the artisan dimension of construction. From the analysis of the different interactions between operator and machinery, what is highlighted is the amplification of the satisfaction for one’s work in the use, for example, of an excavator.