Duemila: a cineforum on collective action with contemporary exploited workers

• In Event: Qualitative research methods into dialogue

Abstract

This paper draws on a novel qualitative method in the form of cineforum to explore the perspectives of contemporary self-identified exploited workers on their lack of engagement in collective action. Specifically, it employed a group screening of Bernardo Bertolucci’s historical working-class film Novecento (1976) to conduct a visual elicitation session among four workers from the Spanish bakery retailing sector. The session aimed to provide a platform for these workers to compare their experiences and express their views on the factors that inspire or hinder them from engaging in collective action, with the goal of reaching a broader understanding of the meanings, rhetoric, and ideas that some of today’s exploited workers use to explain, excuse or legitimize their positionality. Throughout the comparative process, the participants identified several themes that influenced their (lack of) engagement in collective action, including their perceived sense of autonomy when it comes to leaving their job; the importance of separating their work and private life; a (perceived) lack of a contemporary working-class identity, and the distrust in the actors and processes associated with collective action. As an explorative study, this paper also provides valuable insights and discussion on the further development and limitations of qualitative (visual) methods for examining the experiences and perspectives of workers and other collectives that operate far from academic provinces.

Author

• Eric Cano Cobano, Utrecht University