Panos Theodoropoulos and Sam-Lawton Westerland will be discussing their research on Precarious Masculinities: Migrant Working Men’s Masculinities as Self-Exploitation on the 22nd of October 2024 at King's College London.
Interregnum is coming to London. Panos Theodoropoulos and Sam-Lawton Westerland will be discussing their research on Precarious Masculinities: Migrant Working Men’s Masculinities as Self-Exploitation on the 22nd of October 2024. More information is available here. The event is free for all to attend.
Relying on notes from Panos's experience as a kitchen porter in a popular Mediterranean restaurant in Glasgow, we will discuss how masculinity plays a role in workers' naturalisation of their exploitation. We argue that, in conditions of intense insecurity, in occupations largely forgotten by unions where one's capacity to labour is one's only guarantee of survival, masculinity becomes a crucial resource to turn oppression into a source of pride; this transformation allows workers to survive their working conditions, and it is similar transformations that play a key role in fueling the wheels of neoliberalism. The burns, cuts, and bruises arising from the labour process are thus perceived not as undeniable marks of exploitation, but as badges of honour that attest to workers' strength, endurance, and 'good worker' statuses. While this allows workers to feel a certain degree of power, it also strengthens the entire web of ideas, mentalities, and outlooks that fortify capitalism's control over our imaginations.
This talk is part of our wider explorations into the ways in which neoliberalism structures our imaginations and our ideas about ourselves. We hope to see you there and hear your opinions and contributions!
A recorded version will be uploaded to this website shortly afterwards.
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