Bodies and work: a study of employment in the service and cultural sectors

Abstract

[EN]Professions linked to cultural production and those associated with the service sector share certain characteristics that are not easily identifiable if we limit ourselves to considering the tasks formally assigned and recognised as belonging to those who work in these fields. However, by focusing on the negative effects experienced by those engaged in such work, it is possible to assess some common harms. Through a series of interviews, this study aims to detect physical damage, emotional exhaustion, and the presence of aesthetic pressure in a set of activities connected with the service sector and with artistic and intellectual production. Physical strain and associated harm are taken as indicators of what we call economic exploitation. On the other hand, we present the emergence of aesthetic demands, as well as emotional exhaustion, as forms of cultural exploitation. Finally, we analyse situations that illustrate what we might describe as a realisable utopia. In these, the necessary work of reproducing bodies is only conditioned by the demands of activities that are both defined and meaningful.