Soziologie

The RTG 2951 Lecture Series is pleased to welcome Ania Plomien (London School of Economics and Political Science) for a lecture titled “Productive Subjectivity of Migrant Workers: Accomplishing ‘Migrant Labour’.”

Date: 15 June 2026 Time: 18:30 Venue: X-B2-103 (BGHS), Bielefeld University

In this lecture, Ania Plomien will explore the problem of “migrant labour” by focusing on the subjectivity of migrant workers and the processes through which this subjectivity contributes to the constitution and reproduction of migrant labour as a distinct social category of work. Bringing together Marx’s critique of labour, scholarship on labour regimes and the politics of production, and feminist social reproduction theory, she will develop an analytical framework for understanding how migrant workers actively participate in the reproduction of migrant labour across labour markets, workplaces, and everyday life.

The lecture draws on interview data with Ukrainian and Polish migrants employed in care provision, food production, and housing construction in Poland, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Examining how migrant workers navigate migration controls, workplace regulations, and the social reproduction challenges associated with labour migration, the presentation sheds light on the productive subjectivity of migrant workers as migrants, workers, and people.

The talk will be of interest to scholars and students working on migration, labour, social inequalities, gender, and social reproduction, as well as anyone interested in contemporary debates on work and mobility.

We warmly invite all interested colleagues and students to join us for this lecture and the subsequent discussion.