Papers by Gabriella Cioce
Work, Employment and Society, 2024
In the context of the rising power of capital over labour, research on labour mobilization is imp... more In the context of the rising power of capital over labour, research on labour mobilization is important. From the research literature, we know that labour mobilizations might be initiated by trade unions or via workers' self-organization. Yet, we know little about the cultural and social processes through which individual workers come to self-organize in the first place. To address this gap, we present ethnographic research on precarious migrant workers mobilizing with the support of an Italian independent union called SICobas. Our study highlights three processes of self-organizing: formulating shared meanings of discontent, identifying as a group using symbols of inequality and exclusion, and forming communities of struggle. Drawing on Scott's understanding of resistance, we theorize these three processes as 'informal cultures of resistance'. This concept contributes to emergent research on workers' self-organization, showing the significance of the cultural and social processes that can often underpin formal labour mobilizations.
Human Relations
There are considerable language barriers facing the potential collective labour organization of m... more There are considerable language barriers facing the potential collective labour organization of multi-ethnic migrant workers. From the research literature, we know little about linguistic practices that might overcome these barriers. Based on an ethnographic study of the participatory organizing of S.I. Cobas multi-ethnic migrant workers in the Italian logistics sector, we point to three linguistic practices that help overcome language barriers – translation, lingua franca and humour. We theorize these three linguistic practices as constituting an ‘improvised language of solidarity’. We argue that an improvised language of solidarity develops from, and can significantly support, participatory organizing.
Human Relations, 2022
There are considerable language barriers facing the potential collective labour organization of m... more There are considerable language barriers facing the potential collective labour organization of multi-ethnic migrant workers. From the research literature, we know little about linguistic practices that might overcome these barriers. Based on an ethnographic study of the participatory organizing of S.I. Cobas multi-ethnic migrant workers in the Italian logistics sector, we point to three linguistic practices that help overcome language barriers – translation, lingua franca and humour. We theorize these three linguistic practices as constituting an ‘improvised language of solidarity’. We argue that an improvised language of solidarity develops from, and can significantly support, participatory organizing.
Industrial Relations Journal , 2022
Cross-national research is key to understanding the global presence of informal and non-compliant... more Cross-national research is key to understanding the global presence of informal and non-compliant workplaces. This article comparatively examines how normalisation encourages or inhibits collective action led by migrant workers employed in Italian logistics warehouses (LWs) and the British hand car washes(HCWs). The term collective action derives from mobilisation theory and refers to joint resistance initiatives developed by workers and labour organisations to improve work conditions. The article argues that migrant labour does not necessarily lead to informal practices and claims that labour market regulatory agencies and trade unions play an important but dialectical role in responding to labour market non-compliance and informality. Finally, it notes that sector-based specificities contribute to and potentially inhibit the emergence of collective dynamics in such workplaces.
http://storieinmovimento.org/2018/07/05/quarantaseiesimo-numero/, 2018
In cantiere/Preliminary Findings
Talks by Gabriella Cioce
Zapruder / online by Gabriella Cioce
Block the box. Logistica, flussi, conflitti, May 2018
Ricordiamo che a un anno dalla pubblicazione, i numeri della rivista «Zapruder» vengono resi disp... more Ricordiamo che a un anno dalla pubblicazione, i numeri della rivista «Zapruder» vengono resi disponibili in download gratuito sul nostro sito!
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Papers by Gabriella Cioce
Talks by Gabriella Cioce
Zapruder / online by Gabriella Cioce