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The Aesthetics of Work-Readiness: Aesthetic Judgements and Pedagogies for Conditional Welfare and Post-Fordist Labour Markets

Author

Listed:
  • Marguerite van den Berg

    (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

  • Josien Arts

    (University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands)

Abstract

Recent legislation in the Netherlands takes conditional welfare to a new level. Local welfare offices can now give benefit sanctions to welfare clients that ‘obstruct employment’ by their appearance. Through a qualitative and ethnographic study of aesthetic evaluation practices in Dutch welfare offices it is argued that: (1) an everyday aesthetic labour is pivotal in post-Fordist labour markets; (2) in times of precarization, this is so for unemployed as well as formally employed populations; (3) welfare clients are expected to give an aesthetic performance of work-readiness and adaptability; and (4) case managers use aesthetics as a pedagogy to achieve this readiness and adaptability. Aesthetic labour, it is then argued, is best conceptualized as a continuous, everyday, backstage labour for labour: a daily calibration for work contexts in flux.

Suggested Citation

  • Marguerite van den Berg & Josien Arts, 2019. "The Aesthetics of Work-Readiness: Aesthetic Judgements and Pedagogies for Conditional Welfare and Post-Fordist Labour Markets," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 33(2), pages 298-313, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:33:y:2019:i:2:p:298-313
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017018758196
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