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'It is their nature to do menial labour': the racialization of 'Latino/a workers' by agricultural employers.
- Source :
- Ethnic & Racial Studies; Jul2009, Vol. 32 Issue 6, p1017-1036, 20p, 1 Chart
- Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- Latino/as1 constitute the largest ethno-racial minority group in the United States, and a significant and growing proportion of the US labour force. Nevertheless, they remain at the bottom of the US economy, concentrated and overrepresented in 'bad jobs'. Using a case study from agricultural work, this paper examines how racialization is implicated in such positioning of Latino/as within the labour market. Based on data from in-depth interviews, I explore how agricultural employers articulate racial meanings about and in relation to Latino/a workers. While employers espouse colour-blindness, they routinely invoke racial meanings in their assessment of workers and everyday practices. They use race as proxy for worker quality, making racialized distinctions between recent immigrants and second + -generation Latino/as. A dual frame of reference serves as an ideological tool to de-problematize exploitative work conditions in the United States. I explore the theoretical and political implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01419870
- Volume :
- 32
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Ethnic & Racial Studies
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 41130430
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870902802254