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When two worlds collide: the role of affect in ‘essential’ worker responses to shifting evaluative norms
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 06:34 authored by Natalia SlutskayaNatalia Slutskaya, Annilee Game, Rachel Morgan, Tim NewtonConcerns about devaluation and misrecognition are central for understanding the experiences of workers in stigmatised occupations. Yet contemporary approaches have been criticised for over-simplifying workers’ responses to mis/recognition. Povinelli’s concepts of ‘trembling of recognition’ and ‘social tense’ offer a useful starting point for extending existing understandings of mis/recognition by highlighting the contextual importance of temporality. To explore these ideas, we report on an ethnographic study of waste management workers in London, UK. The findings suggest that dirty workers’ responses to mis/recognition are a complex mix of discordant cognitive and affective reactions and narrative strategies, shaped by changing normative ideals. The findings suggest that recognition derives not only from workers’ encounters, meanings and feelings attached to the past and present but also from the sense that they have a valued part to play in the future.
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Publication status
- Published
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- Published version
Journal
SociologyISSN
0038-0385Publisher
SAGE PublicationsExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
57Page range
211-227Department affiliated with
- Management Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2023-03-23First Open Access (FOA) Date
2023-03-23First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2023-03-23Usage metrics
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