Globalization.Immigration.Deindustrialization

A short article with images by two French photoraphers in Detroit, MI.

Made in Brooklyn is a short film series depicting the lives of urban crafters who still personally create their own products. These are specialty/trade items, such as violins, watches, jewelry and even shoes. I'm posting this today because, not only are the short films lovely pieces of art themselves, but it may remind us of how life once was before the industrial revolution. There once were shops run by one or two folks who owned the place/apprenticed there, making anything from clothing to bread. It seems that many people have taken it upon themselves to participate in a sort of renaissance. At this moment in time, there have been exponentially increasing measures being taken to "shop local, think global." By now, we're all quite aware of the environmental effects of globalization and outsourcing on the economy.

If this notion of being able to make our own things, grow our own food, etc. spreads, we could significantly decrease the need to rely on MNC's to provide us with the goods we're so used to having around. By buying directly from the person who made or grew it, you benefit them and the local economy as well.

Excerpt: The Nanny Chain

Hochschild, Arlie Russell. [2000] 2005. "The Nanny Chain". Pp. 162-169 inUnderstanding Society, 2nd ed., edited by Margaret L. Andersen, Kim Logio, and Howard Taylor. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc. It's something many of us may not even realize: love and caring has become a commodity. Hochschild describes the way that chains of care are built:

A typical global care chain might work something like this: An older daughter from a poor family in a third world country cares for her siblings (the first link in the chain) while her mother works as a nanny caring for the children of a nanny migrating to a first world country (the second link) who, in turn, cares for the child of a family in a rich country (the final link). Each kind of chain expresses an invisible human ecology of care, one care worker depending on another and so on.

Most analyses and examinations of globalization focus on economics or politics. Hochschild proposes that we examine the psychological effects on those affected, such as a mother's displacing of love from her children to those she's paid to care for. This article stresses a moot point. These "chains" can be viewed economically as women seeking better pay by employing their mothering skills overseas, where their services are needed and well-paid for. The psychological displacement is irrelevant, since the feelings of love and longing are still present for the nannies' children. The author builds a pair of straw men and puts herself on a moral high horse as she describes "the three vantage points from which to see care chains". The "primordialist" is family and community-oriented, and is opposed to globalization. The "sunshine modernist" is "modern", in favor of globalization, and either supportive or ignorant of care chains as just a consequence of globalization. The "critical modernist" is "modern", but with "a global sense of ethics" and concern for the well-being of affected individuals. Her "primordialist" is ignorant, her "sunshine modernist" is immoral, and her "critical modernist" (as she identifies herself) is a smart and socially responsible individual. In keeping with this theme, she proposes "smart" but vague solutions: to develop local economies, "to create local refuges from [abusive] husbands", "to raise the value of caring work and to ensure that whoever does it gets more credit and money for it", and "to get fathers to contribute more to child care". Care chains, if we choose to acknowledge them as such, are but a detail in the discussion of globalization. There is much more to be said for exploitation and economics and quality of life and stratification than for "care", and the socio-psychological impact of all of these is sure to have much more potent outcomes. Relevance: 2/5 (irrelevant) Salience: 1/5 (very trivial) References:

Rhacel Parrenas, Servants of Globalization. - cited in agreement, as an example.

Ernestine Avila, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Pierette Hondageu-Sotelo, Mary Romero - as an example.

Sigmund Freud - cited in agreement. "Consider Sigmund Freud's theory of displacement, the idea that emotion can be redirected from one person or object to another."

Sau-ling C. Wong - quoted. "Time and energy available for mothers are diverted from those who, by kinship or communal ties, are their more rightful recipients."

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Arlie Russell, author and sociologist, describes The Nanny Chain as having three links. These create a sense of displacement for these mothering global working women; making the services profitable yet giving her love to children she is payed to care for. Psychologically and emotionally, it becomes confusing. Chains of child care by immigrant women "are but a detail in the discussion of globalization" (Russell). Perhaps it's a result of international  institutionalized gender roles, but the problems with nanny/care chains are often overlooked.

This Ted Talk goes into the detrimental effects caused by the process of Globalization. Although an engenious and otherwise seemingly efficient concept, Globalization has become detrimental to societies around the world. Remember Maria Full of Grace? She leaves her flower factory job at which she is exploited for her labor for a career in international drug trade.

Heerden reminds the crowd of other obvious examples of countries whose people suffer in order for 'the greater good', such as the Blood Diamonds (another film you should see) of Sierra Leone. The production of brand name goods often involves the dissolution of human rights and often uses child labor in order to make the product for the cheapest cost to the US company. 

Back in the 90's during the Clinton administration set out to write a contract that went against abuse of global workers as a result of US Globalization and neglect. Some things changed, but not for long. In countries where these factories are up and running, local laws are completely different than those in the states. These factories, as Heerden mentions, will never see an inspector to regulate safety conditions. Some have institutionalized child labor to the point of greatly decreasing the academic year so children are forced to go to work at the factories. 

Heerden offers a number of solutions to the problem, namely one that seems to be humane and common sense oriented. He suggests, as I have often thought about myself, that the major name brand companies use their wealth and power for good. These companies have the capability to - despite outsourcing their factories/jobs to foreign countries  for cheaper labor - monitor and instill basic safety laws and regulations in the work place. But they don't. They choose not to, as this would lose them money that to them, is more precious than human life. 

It's all a domino effect, it seems. And changing global workers' conditions and supporting their human rights seems like a hard challenge for companies to take on. "It starts with giving people back their dignity."