Affiliation:
1. Department of Social and Economic Geography, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences ELTE Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary
2. Alexandre Lamfalussy Faculty of Economics University of Sopron Sopron Hungary
3. Periféria Policy and Research Center Budapest Hungary
4. Institute for Regional Studies HUN‐REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies Budapest Hungary
Abstract
AbstractThe region of West Hungary surrounding Sopron has experienced large migrant worker inflows from rural Hungary and neighbouring countries into low‐skilled jobs in pre‐COVID‐19 years. This research interviewed workers, labour market intermediaries, employers, and hosts to explore how the fundamental humanity of migrant workers is denied in the labour process. The paper draws on geographical research examining the embodied agency of workers and analyses the literature on dehumanization to highlight the construction of dehumanization narratives in the social relations of migrant recruitment, training, employment, and accommodation. Theoretically, the paper argues that production and reproduction sites require consideration when examining the dehumanization of migrant labour. The empirical part of the paper contributes to the literature by unpacking various dehumanization strategies involving social boundary‐making based on nationality, ethnicity, and gender.