Cancelled: 30 Minute Talks on Research: From clap for carers to wages for workers

 Unfortunately, this event has now been cancelled

This talk develops a critique of the discourse of heroism used to position health and social care professionals, and other key workers, during the COVID pandemic. It does so in order to reflect on the insights into workplace inequalities that this example provides, in particular into what we might think of as the conditions necessary for a workable life. It argues that, although it might seem paradoxical, the heroic discourses and symbolism used to recognize health and social care workers throughout the pandemic can be understood as a form of ‘hate speech’ in Judith Butler’s terms, one that subjected key workers to a harmful form of recognition which had the effect of undermining their capacity to challenge and resist this positioning. The talk ends by exploring scope for more meaningful ways of recognising those who care for, with and about others.

This talk will follow a talk from Norman Riley, Department of Sociology - Men, Meat and Manliness: a qualitative investigation of food and masculinities among working-class men at 1pm