Interview with Hannah Schling

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 OPEN ACCESS 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 OPEN ACCESS 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. OPEN ACCESS 92 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2019 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 OPEN ACCESS 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. REFERENCES Albe i, G. 2014. “Mobili y s a egies, ‘mobili y di e en ials’ and ‘ ansna ional exi ’: he expe iences o p eca ious mig an s in London’s hospi ali y jobs.” Wo k, Employmen and Socie y 28(6): 865–881. Albe i G.L. 2017. “Anew s a us o mig an wo ke s: es ic ions o he ee mo emen o labou in he EU.” Mondi Mig an i 2016(3): 33–49 Ande son, B. 2010. “Mig a ion, immig a ion con ols and he ashioning o p eca ious wo ke s.” Wo k, Employmen and Socie y 24(2): 300–317. Ande son, B. 2015. „Immig a ion and he wo ke ci izen.“ Pp.41–57 in Ande son, B., Hughes, V. (eds.) Ci izenship and I s O he s. Basings oke: Palg a e. De Geno a, N. 2002. “Mig an “Illegali y” and Depo abili y in E e yday Li e.” Annual Re iew o An h opology 31: 419–447. De Geno a, N. 2005. Wo king he Bounda ies: Race, Space, and “Illegali y” in Mexican Chicago. Du ham, NC: Duke Uni e si y P ess. De Geno a, N. 2010. „The Depo a ion Regime: So e eign y, Space, and he F eedom o Mo emen .“ Pp.33–65 in De Geno a, N., Peu z, N. (eds.). The Depo a ion Regime: So e eign y, Space, and he F eedom o Mo emen . Du ham NC: Duke Uni e si y P ess. De Geno a, N. 2016. “The Eu opean Ques ion: Mig a ion, Race, and Pos coloniali y in “Eu ope”. Social Tex 34(3): 75–102. Fede ici. S.2004. Caliban and he Wi ch: Women, he Body and P imi i e Accumula ion. New Yo k: Au onomedia. Fede ici. S.2012. Re olu ion a Poin Ze o: Housewo k, Rep oduc ion, and Feminis S uggle. Oakland CA: PM P ess. Meehan, K.— S auss, K. 2015. P eca ious Wo lds: Con es ed Geog aphies o Social Rep oduc ion. Uni e si y o Geo gia P ess. Mies, M. 2014. Pa ia chy and Accumula ion on aWo ld Scale: Women in he In e na ional Di ision o Labou . London: Zed Books Mi chell, K.— Ma s on, S.A.— Ka z, C.2004. “Li e’s Wo k: An In oduc ion, Re iew and C i ique.” Pp.1–26 in Mi chell, K., Ma s on, S.A., Ka z, C. (eds.) Li e’s Wo k: Geog aphies o Social Rep oduc ion. Ox o d: Blackwell. Salzinge , L. 2003. Gende s in P oduc ion: Making Wo ke s in Mexico’s Global Fac o ies. Be keley: Uni e si y o Cali o nia P ess. W igh , M.W. 2006. Disposable Women and O he My hs o Global Capi alism. London and New Yo k: Rou ledge. Hannah Schling, Queen Ma y Uni e si y o London, [email protected] OPEN ACCESS