Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South
Neoliberal globalisation has expanded transnational corporations’ (TNCs) boundaries of operation and sphere of exploitation, particularly in the Global South where much of the production of traditional TNC manufacturing now occurs. In this article, using a longitudinal approach, I conduct a detailed...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sciendo
2021-04-01
|
| Series: | Nordicom Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0025 |
| _version_ | 1797758668323684352 |
|---|---|
| author | Cotal San Martin Vladimir |
| author_facet | Cotal San Martin Vladimir |
| author_sort | Cotal San Martin Vladimir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neoliberal globalisation has expanded transnational corporations’ (TNCs) boundaries of operation and sphere of exploitation, particularly in the Global South where much of the production of traditional TNC manufacturing now occurs. In this article, using a longitudinal approach, I conduct a detailed critical discourse analysis of a large Swedish press corpus reporting on TNC activities in Global South countries. The analysis suggests that the issue of workers’ conditions is made relevant to the Swedish public through a “consumer framework” that not only confers proximity and relevance on the topic, but also effectively recontextualises agency and responsibility towards particular or individual social actors, obscuring the class dimension of labour relations and global production. Moreover, rooted in a highly problematic colonial imagery, exploitation in the Global South is seen as a “cultural problem” of “them” rather than a problem related to the social and spatial relations of global capitalism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:33:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-deb116a2fb1542e095870b18474656a4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2001-5119 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:33:22Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nordicom Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-deb116a2fb1542e095870b18474656a42023-08-02T08:14:25ZengSciendoNordicom Review2001-51192021-04-0142s3355510.2478/nor-2021-0025Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global SouthCotal San Martin Vladimir0School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Örebro University, SwedenNeoliberal globalisation has expanded transnational corporations’ (TNCs) boundaries of operation and sphere of exploitation, particularly in the Global South where much of the production of traditional TNC manufacturing now occurs. In this article, using a longitudinal approach, I conduct a detailed critical discourse analysis of a large Swedish press corpus reporting on TNC activities in Global South countries. The analysis suggests that the issue of workers’ conditions is made relevant to the Swedish public through a “consumer framework” that not only confers proximity and relevance on the topic, but also effectively recontextualises agency and responsibility towards particular or individual social actors, obscuring the class dimension of labour relations and global production. Moreover, rooted in a highly problematic colonial imagery, exploitation in the Global South is seen as a “cultural problem” of “them” rather than a problem related to the social and spatial relations of global capitalism.https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0025transnational corporationsworking conditionsglobal southcritical discourse analysisnewspapers |
| spellingShingle | Cotal San Martin Vladimir Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South Nordicom Review transnational corporations working conditions global south critical discourse analysis newspapers |
| title | Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South |
| title_full | Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South |
| title_fullStr | Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South |
| title_short | Dismissing class: Media representations of workers’ conditions in the Global South |
| title_sort | dismissing class media representations of workers conditions in the global south |
| topic | transnational corporations working conditions global south critical discourse analysis newspapers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2021-0025 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cotalsanmartinvladimir dismissingclassmediarepresentationsofworkersconditionsintheglobalsouth |