Poster #34 - Body Training for the Global Economy: Professionalism or New Imperialism?

• In Event: 43.081 - MTCC Poster Session Nine
  In Poster Session: 43.081-5 - Workplace Learning Poster Session

Abstract

Low wage service workers employed in large transnational firms undergo forms of training in which they are taught to transform their bodies through the proper use of uniforms and the adoption of hair and nail styles defined as professional. In this paper, we explore the training of low wage service workers employed at transnational corporations in India. In particular, we highlight the “body training” of one group of service workers - housekeepers. Through interviews with housekeepers conducted in India, we explore their experiences of the training they receive. Workers report that while their training professionalizes and improves the status of their low wage service jobs, it also constitutes a form of imperialism through the promotion of Western standards.

Authors

• Kiran Mirchandani, University of Toronto

• Sanjukta Mukherjee

• Shruti Tambe