In e iew wi h Hannah Schling
Alica B endzo á
Hannah Schling is aLec u e in Human Geog aphy a Queen Ma y Uni e si y o London.
She ecei ed he PhD in Human Geog aphy om King’s College London.
You ecen ly inished you PhD hesis on labou mig a ion. Can you b ie ly commen on wha
i is abou and how you a i ed a you opic and you ield?
So a he mos conc e e le el my PhD esea ch examines he ole o wo k agencies and
wo ke do mi o ies wi hin sys ems o mig an labou in he expo -o ien ed elec-
onics manu ac u ing sec o in he Czech Republic. Idid my ieldwo k in wo ke
do mi o ies in Pilsen and Pa dubice, which Ichose because hese a e majo indus ial
cen es in he Czech manu ac u ing sec o . The sec o employs bo h EU and non-EU
wo ke s: men and women om Bulga ia, Romania, Slo akia, Uk aine, Se bia, Mon-
golia, Vie nam— and do mi o ies a e essen ially mul i-na ional spaces wi h highly
complex in e nal social ela ions. Idid e hnog aphic esea ch in he do mi o ies,
seeking o unde s and e e yday li e and s uggles wi hin hem. Bu Ialso examined
how do mi o ies and hei e e yday li e exis sys ema ically, wi hin he b oade e-
gime o labou and mig a ion in he expo -o ien ed manu ac u ing sec o .
Iexamined labou mig a ion o he Czech Republic h ough asocial ep oduc ion
analysis. Ve y b oadly, Iwas in e es ed o see how he daily and gene a ional ep o-
duc ion o he labou o ce encompasses social ela ions and o ms o unwaged wo k
a beyond he wo kplace i sel . This asks how wo ke s hemsel es a e ep oduced as
classed, gende ed and acialized labou ing subjec s, and Iask how in add essing he
ques ion we a e ying o unde s and he undamen al impo ance o ma e ial li e
ou side o wo k o he ope a ion o labou egimes and associa ed egimes o alue
accumula ion. Wo ke s’ do mi o ies a e conc e e ways o add essing his ques ion:
how a e hese mig an wo ke s p oduced as empo a y and ‘disposable’ wo ke s, and
how is ha bound up wi h pa icula ly gende ed, acialised and classed no ions o
hei ‘ o eignness’? How does his occu pa ially h ough he o ganisa ion o hei
(pe manen ly- empo a y), daily ep oduc ion in he do mi o y sys em?
How did you choose he sec o o elec onics in he Czech Republic as you ield?
Ilooked a elec onics manu ac u ing because i encompasses speci ic empo al im-
pe a i es — much mo e seasonal p oduc ion, and wi h con ac manu ac u ing in
pa icula , p oduc ion o de s go up and down, he e a e o en e y sho u na ound
imes and he size o he equi ed wo k o ce consequen ly cons an ly luc ua es. So
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90 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2019
he empo a iness, o a he he disposabili y, o labou is acons an ques ion, which
employe s a e ying o cons uc o manage in he in e es o main aining low la-
bou cos s, bu also as akind o disciplina y labou managemen p ac ice.
As such, my hesis is bo h e y empi ically ocused. Iwas ying o cha he ela-
ions and in as uc u es o he sys em o mig an labou , o ind ou how exac ly
wo k agencies ope a e o manage he logis ics o mig an labou supply in his con-
ex , how wo ke s nego ia e he agency sys em, wha consequences his has o e -
e yday li e in he do mi o y, and so on. And a he same ime Iwas ying o hink
concep ually— abou how o heo ize social ep oduc ion as an analy ical lens.
In app oaching he do mi o y e hnog aphically, aco e ques ion Ihad was: how
does e e yday li e in he do mi o y ope a e in ela ion o he sys em o wo k. You
ha e eigh o wel e-hou shi s, mix u es o day and nigh shi s some imes each
week, and complica ed egula ion o wo ke s’ a ailabili y on aday- o-day basis.
How does he do mi o y egula e he e e yday “bio hy hms” o he wo ke s in e-
la ion o wo k, bu also how do con adic ions eme ge wi hin he do mi o y space.
Iunde s and hose con adic ions bo h as con adic ions o labou — he egime o
wo k and he de e io a ed condi ions o he do mi o y a e in many ways damaging
o wo ke s’ heal h and well-being, meaning he ‘disposabili y’ o labou is unda-
men ally embodied. The s ains o bo h shi wo k and he de e io a ed condi ions o
ep oduc ion in he do mi o y space a e w i en on he bodies and subjec i i ies o
wo ke s. Bu his also c ea es con adic ions o employe s as well in ha sys em o
labou . Such ‘disposabili y’ o wo ke s is no only p oduced by wo k agencies, o by
he ime able o HR manage s a ac o ies.
Wi hin ha con ex he con adic ions p oduced by he do mi o y also include
whe e wo ke s’ own ci cula ion, qui ing o lea ing he wo kplace does no ma ch
he empo ali y desi ed by employe s. One o he hings I ied o heo ize and also
in es iga e empi ically was he way ha wo ke s— in an absence o o he o ms o
labou o ganising— ac ually use qui ing o exi ing om he wo kplace as ameans
o con es hei wo king condi ions and also he li ing condi ions in he do mi o y.
As an in as uc u e, he do mi o y p oduces ab oade social empo a iness o mi-
g an wo ke s, bo de ing o he li e o mig an wo ke s om he b oade ci y, p o-
ducing ab oade ma ginali y. Bu Ia gue ha wo ke s y o na iga e his empo a i-
ness— o use do mi o ies as an in as uc u e o hei own ad an age. They use hem
almos as nodes wi hin b oade mig a ion ajec o ies, wi hin and beyond he Czech
Republic. Alo o wo ke s come o he Czech Republic o make money o und u u e
labou mig a ion o Wes e n Eu ope— Ge many, he Ne he lands, he UK. Iexam-
ined how he empo ali ies o mig an labou a e a e ain o s uggle be ween wo k-
e s and capi al in which he in as uc u e o wo ke s’ ep oduc ion, he do mi o y,
is undamen ally a s ake. This b ings in ques ions o mobili y and mo emen , and i
implica es ques ions o how bo de s and mig a ion egimes also embedded s ongly
in egimes o wo k and he p oduc ion o labou ing subjec s.
Could you gi e an example?
One ac o y Iexamined was employing high numbe s o EU wo ke s om Romania,
Bulga ia and Slo akia h ough wo k agencies. Du ing he cou se o my ieldwo k hey
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ALICA BRENDzO á 91
i ed agency wo ke s and b ough in new co e wo ke s om Mongolia. These wo k-
e s ha e a e y di e en mobili y in he labou ma ke — hei s a us as hi d coun-
y na ionals means hei legal esidency is ied o hei employe s in ways ha EU
wo ke s a e no . The employe b ough in he new Mongolian co e wo ke s because
he u no e o EU wo ke s was oo high. So, Ialso ied o hink abou how hese el-
a i e posi ions o EU and non-EU wo ke s a e used by employe s, bu also how wo k-
e s na iga ed i hemsel es. Fo example, some non-EU wo ke s use semi-illegalized
ou es o gain some le el o mobili y in he labou ma ke . Bu Ialso discussed how
EU wo ke s’ seemingly uni e sal ee mo emen is also condi ioned, con ained and
dis up ed by he sys em o employe -p o ided housing, which is wha he do mi o y
is. Ac ually qui ing one agency and mo ing o ano he o en means na iga ing he
isk o homelessness, because housing is ied o employmen h ough apa icula
agency. I you lose o lea e he job, you a e immedia ely e ic ed om he do mi o y.
So I ied o hink c i ically abou how EU and non-EU wo ke s a e p oduced in ela-
ion o each o he . And ha ing done ex ensi e ieldwo k on his ques ion, Icould see
i is much mo e complica ed han he o mal legal s a us alone migh sugges .
Wha challenges did you ace in you ieldwo k and esea ch in gene al— concep ual,
me ho dological, pe sonal ones?
In many ways, my ieldwo k was qui e complica ed. Mos impo an ly, because en-
su ing he sa e y o my in e locu o s and wo ke s Iwas mee ing and speaking o
was my bigges p io i y. Ihad o be ca e ul ha hei pa icipa ion in my esea ch
would no jeopa dize hei posi ion as al eady qui e p eca iously employed people.
Tha aised ques ions abou he isibili y o he esea ch. Iunde ook di e en kinds
o secu i y p ac ices o make su e ha Iwould no pose a h ea o he people Iwas
mee ing. Secondly, in unde aking ieldwo k in he wo ke s’ do mi o y Iwas ini ially
me wi h alo o wa nings om Czech people abou going in o do mi o ies, conce n-
ing my sa e y as asingle woman. This was especially s ong du ing my ieldwo k in
Pilsen, because a ha ime he e was ala ge media campaign ha ocused on he
supposed c iminali y o mig an wo ke s. In away, my esea ch also con on ed how
Czechness is p oduced in ela ion o do mi o y spaces and he o eign wo ke s hey
house. This is also a he hea o wha I ied o do in my hesis: o unde s and he
p oduc i e powe o he s e eo ypes— and he hings people we e elling me abou
do mi o ies om ou side hem. Those s e eo ypes asse wha no ma i e gende ed
cons uc ions o masculini y and eminini y should be, o o whe e he bounda y be-
ween ‘Czech’ and ‘ o eigne ’ is and wha ha means. A he same ime, li ing in he
do mi o ies was, as wi h e hnog aphic esea ch in many con ex s, ex emely compli-
ca ed and Ihad o na iga e in ense and o en complica ed social dynamics in gaining
us , nego ia ing my posi ionali y especially as asingle woman in ha space. Na i-
ga ing hese gende ed ela ions inside he do mi o y hen ga e me ano he pe spec-
i e in o how gende is p oduced wi hin his con ex .
Who a e you a ou i e au ho s? Which books in luenced you esea ch mos ?
Fi s o all, he e a e many wo kplace e hnog aphies Iam in luenced by, p ima -
ily eminis e hnog aphies ha span an h opology and eminis poli ical economy.
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Leslie Salzinge ’s 2003 book Gende s in P oduc ion has been e y in luen ial in hink-
ing abou how he gende ed subjec is p oduced in he wo kplace. Secondly, Melissa
W igh ’s (2006) book Disposable Women and o he My hs o Global Capi alism, exam-
ining how women wo king on assembly lines in Mexico and China a e p oduced as
‘disposable’ wo ke s h ough bo h managemen p ac ices and pa ia chal ela ions
ou side o he ac o y. As o wo k on social ep oduc ion, he wo k o ma e ialis
and Ma xis eminis such as Sil ia Fede ici (2004, 2012) and Ma ia Mies (2014) who
cen ed women’s unwaged labou and social ep oduc ion as aca ego y o analysis.
The e is excellen wo k being done on social ep oduc ion in geog aphy, o example
Kend a S auss and Ka ie Meehan’s (2015) edi ed olume P eca ious Wo lds: Con es ed
Geog aphies o Social Rep oduc ion, and Mi chell, Ma s on and Ka z’s (2004) now clas-
sic essay on ‘li e’s wo k’. Iwould also say my PhD supe iso Nicholas de Geno a’s
wo k on acializa ion, bo de s and mig a ion, bo h his ea lie e hnog aphic wo k
on Mexican mig an labou in he USA (2005), his concep ualisa ion o depo abil-
i y (2002, 2010), as well as his mo e ecen heo isa ions o ‘ he Eu opean Ques ion’
(2016). Finally, B idge Ande son’s (2010, 2015) analysis o he powe o immig a ion
con ols o p oduce ‘p eca ious wo ke s’ and he ways labou ma ke s a us o EU
and non-EU wo ke s a e p oduced in ela ion o each o he in he UK, and Gab iella
Albe i’s (2014, 2017) wo k on in a-EU labou mig a ion and wo ke exi as a e ain
o esis ance. And as ageog aphe , my wo k has been in luenced by c i ical geog a-
phe s like Da id Ha ey and Neil Smi h, and c i ical eminis economic geog aphe s
such as Ma ion We ne and Kend a S auss.
Is he e any hing you would ha e liked o esea ch mo e, bu did no ha e achance o? Wha
is nex in you esea ch o labou mig a ion?
One hing ha Isee as abig gap is he his o y o he do mi o y in he Czech con-
ex . Wha is e y well s udied is he do mi o y as a o m o labou managemen in
places like China, o a ious o ms o empo a y accommoda ion in ag icul u al sec-
o s globally. Bu in Cen al and Eas e n Eu ope, he do mi o y is en i ely unde -
s udied. My hesis was one o he i s a emp s o do ha sys ema ically. Ihope ha
anyone eading his who is wo king on do mi o ies in CEE will ge in ouch wi h me!
Alena Alamgi who wo ks on Vie namese labou exchange p og ammes unde s a e
socialism has done a chi al esea ch which shed some ligh on wha li e was like o
Vie namese wo ke s in do mi o ies unde he o me egime. Bu wha is comple ely
unknown is wha happened pos -1989 and in he pe iod be ween 1989 and 2016 when
Idid my esea ch. The big boom in expo -o ien ed manu ac u ing has b ough ap o-
li e a ion o wo k agencies and wo ke do mi o ies. The e is acomple e gap in un-
de s anding how do mi o ies came o be such adominan pa o he con empo a y
labou egime in he Czech Republic and in he sys em o labou mig a ion. Wha a e
he his o ical con inui ies and discon inui ies be ween he do mi o ies Vie namese
wo ke s we e li ing in in he 1970s and 1980s and wha we see oday in and a ound
he new indus ial zones? Wha does ha ell us abou egimes o wo k and o social
ep oduc ion, which a e d ama ically di e en o wo king classes hen and now?
Secondly, Iwould like o hink mo e abou how he Czech Republic is geog aphically
si ua ed in b oade ajec o ies o in e nal labou mig a ion in he EU. Pa icula ly
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ALICA BRENDzO á 93
Romanian, Slo ak and Bulga ian wo ke s in he Czech Republic ha e huge expe i-
ence wo king in di e en EU coun ies. Fo example, Romanian wo ke s who wo ked
in Spanish ag icul u e p e-2008 c isis Slo ak wo ke s in Ge man wa ehouses e c.
Iam pa o ag oup o schola s examining in a-EU labou mig a ion, and hinking
beyond simple linea mo es om eas o wes , which is hedominan idea o how la-
bou mig a ion wo ks in he EU. Cu en ly we a e wo king on aspecial issue o he
jou nal In e na ional Mig a ion on his ques ion, wi h which we hope o discuss how
a ious kinds o na ional bo de ing and social exclusion o mobile EU wo ke s a e
eme ging in his supposedly ‘ ee mo emen ’ space o he EU.
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Hannah Schling, Queen Ma y Uni e si y o London, [email protected]
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