‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India
This article traces the trajectory of different initiatives to address unfree labour and their impact on workers’ capacity to aspire to and exercise their rights in India. We attempt to understand the dimensions and effects of different ‘ways of seeing’ precarity and exploitation within the larger c...
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Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
2020-09-01
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Online Access: | https://www.antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/atrjournal/article/view/493 |
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doaj-fb51527972d546f4b14143548f4416202020-11-25T02:48:21ZengGlobal Alliance Against Traffic in WomenAnti-Trafficking Review2286-75112287-01132020-09-011513715310.14197/atr.201220158441‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in IndiaLorena ArochaMeena GopalBindhulakshmi PattadathRoshni ChattopadhyayThis article traces the trajectory of different initiatives to address unfree labour and their impact on workers’ capacity to aspire to and exercise their rights in India. We attempt to understand the dimensions and effects of different ‘ways of seeing’ precarity and exploitation within the larger context of economic policies, social structures such as caste-based discrimination, gender-based violence, and state indifference. In a caste and gender-unequal society such as India, with deep regional disparities, we examine how different lenses have impacted on development-led historical processes of informalisation and flexibilisation of work. We do this by contrasting two different ‘models’ in the country, one in the north in a rural setting and the other in the west in an urban context. Context is important, but the organisations and activists involved in our two case studies saw their role and that of workers differently, operating according to distinct goals and working practices. Our research demonstrates that ‘ways of seeing’ matter, as they lead to disparate results in terms of workers’ capacity to mobilise and claim their rights.https://www.antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/atrjournal/article/view/493‘ways of seeing’slaveryunfree labourbonded labourworkers’ collective efforts |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Lorena Arocha Meena Gopal Bindhulakshmi Pattadath Roshni Chattopadhyay |
spellingShingle |
Lorena Arocha Meena Gopal Bindhulakshmi Pattadath Roshni Chattopadhyay ‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India Anti-Trafficking Review ‘ways of seeing’ slavery unfree labour bonded labour workers’ collective efforts |
author_facet |
Lorena Arocha Meena Gopal Bindhulakshmi Pattadath Roshni Chattopadhyay |
author_sort |
Lorena Arocha |
title |
‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India |
title_short |
‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India |
title_full |
‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India |
title_fullStr |
‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India |
title_full_unstemmed |
‘Ways of Seeing’—Policy paradigms and unfree labour in India |
title_sort |
‘ways of seeing’—policy paradigms and unfree labour in india |
publisher |
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women |
series |
Anti-Trafficking Review |
issn |
2286-7511 2287-0113 |
publishDate |
2020-09-01 |
description |
This article traces the trajectory of different initiatives to address unfree labour and their impact on workers’ capacity to aspire to and exercise their rights in India. We attempt to understand the dimensions and effects of different ‘ways of seeing’ precarity and exploitation within the larger context of economic policies, social structures such as caste-based discrimination, gender-based violence, and state indifference. In a caste and gender-unequal society such as India, with deep regional disparities, we examine how different lenses have impacted on development-led historical processes of informalisation and flexibilisation of work. We do this by contrasting two different ‘models’ in the country, one in the north in a rural setting and the other in the west in an urban context. Context is important, but the organisations and activists involved in our two case studies saw their role and that of workers differently, operating according to distinct goals and working practices. Our research demonstrates that ‘ways of seeing’ matter, as they lead to disparate results in terms of workers’ capacity to mobilise and claim their rights. |
topic |
‘ways of seeing’ slavery unfree labour bonded labour workers’ collective efforts |
url |
https://www.antitraffickingreview.org/index.php/atrjournal/article/view/493 |
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