Sensemaking as ‘Self’-defence: Investigating spaces of resistance in precarious work

Abstract

The plight of workers inhabiting the lowest strata of the occupational hierarchy, their scope for progressive resistance and collectivization is a topic of lasting significance, addressed in a number of seminal studies. Since the advent of neoliberalism and rise of precarious, that is, insecure, atypical, zero-hour, short-term and temporary employment, the matter has, once again captured public attention and led to debates between labour market theorists and policy makers. Researchers have, so far, considered the complex neoliberal causes behind the phenomenon of precarious work and mapped in detail the antagonistic relationship between labour and capital in a variety of organizational contexts. However, there is an ongoing need to study worker resistance at the micro and symbolic levels, exhibited not only through mundane, covert and everyday behaviours but through identity work in defending against subjugation of a worker’s ‘Self’. Applying Weick’s framework in 71 in-depth interviews with workers in low-pay and low-skill industries such as hospitality and care, I identify three types of narratives, retrospective, collective and appreciative, through which participants practice sensemaking as ‘Self’-defence. In doing so, I propose that sensemaking narratives enable participants to orient and interpret the atomized terrain of postmodern work, finding both enjoyment and fulfilment. Through this argument, I contribute to the subjectivity debate by showing that ‘soft’ forms of resistance should not be dismissed as harmless substitutes of the real deal but underscore precarious workers’ lasting ability to construct meaningful ‘Selves’ within postmodern working contexts.