scholarly journals The Brickworkers of Khatunabad: A Striking Record (1953–1979)

2003 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem Floor

This article discusses the working and living conditions of unskilled labourers in South Tehran, and pays particular attention to the workers of the brick-kiln factories of Khatunabad. The brick-kiln workers, mostly transient rural workers, were among the poorest of the Iranian labour class. At the same time, in terms of sheer numbers they represented 5 per cent of the population of Tehran in 1960. They lived and worked under appalling conditions but, nevertheless, they only seldom went on strike. The brickworkers' main concern was not so much their working conditions, but rather to get and hold a job. This was difficult, because (1) they were seasonal labour; (2) they had no representative workers' organization to speak for them; (3) the way their industry was organized left them with little power; and (4) there was strong competition from other unskilled and unemployed labourers. Finally, the six known strikes by the brick-kiln workers will be highlighted, and used to discuss the context in which all Iranian workers had to operate.

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
Solveig Gade

This essay is preoccupied with a notion that is often embraced in theatre and performance theory: that of the dramaturge as a flexible, in-between figure. Taking into consideration, however, the precarious working and living conditions that freelance dramaturgs are typically subjected to as well as the structural parallels between the flexible dramaturg and the ideal of the agile post-Fordist employee, the article sets out to critically investigate the concept of inbetween-ness. Theoretically, the essay draws on theory formations from theatre and performance theory on new dramaturgies as well as theories from political theory and performance theory concerning the precarious working conditions experienced by a majority of cultural workers today. Empirically, the essay builds on two surveys conducted amongst dramaturgs working in the field of Danish theatre and dance with a view to shedding light on their working conditions, particularly with regards to wages and credit policy. The data obtained in the two surveys is analysed and discussed against the background of the two theoretical strands laid out in the first part of the article. In conclusion, the article ventures the claim that if we wish to create sustainable working conditions for dramaturgs, especially those working on a freelance basis, we need to critically address not only their actual working conditions, but also the notions and concepts through which dramaturgs tend to self-identify.


2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 245-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Fujimori ◽  
Luciane Simões Duarte ◽  
Áurea Tamami Minagawa ◽  
Daniela Laurenti ◽  
Rosali Maria Juliano Marcondes Montero

This study assessed the relationship between anemia in infancy and the social reproduction profile of the families. It was conducted with a representative sample of 254 children of the city of Itupeva, SP. Hemoglobin < 11g/dL, determined by portable hemoglobin analyzer, was used to define anemia. Profiles of social reproduction had been built by 2 groups of indicators: working and living conditions. Three social homogeneous groups had been defined: upper, intermediate, lower. Anemia was prevalent in 41.7%, and more frequent in lower social groups (13.2%; 40.6%; 46.2%), but with no significant difference (p>0.05). However, profile of social reproduction of anemic families showed significant difference (p<0.05). Occurrence of anemia was related to poor working conditions in lower social groups and consequently inappropriate living conditions.


Author(s):  
Nina Silber

The language of slavery reverberated over the course of the Depression, with many Americans describing their working and living conditions in these years as something akin to slavery. Yet the language of “white enslavement” assumed particular power in these years, especially for the way it spoke to the immediate and unexpected economic crisis experienced by white Americans. In contrast, black enslavement seemed quaint and far less troubling. This pattern was apparent in the dramas put on by the Federal Theatre, the interviews conducted by writers in the WPA with former slaves, and in Hollywood films like I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang; Judge Priest; and the Prisoner of Shark Island.


Author(s):  
Sugat B. Bajracharya ◽  
Arabinda Mishra ◽  
Abid Hussain ◽  
Kamala Gurung ◽  
Luja Mathema ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Amrit Patel

Shree Bezwada Wilson, the activist of safaiKarmachariAndolan& recipient of the Magsaysay award for the year 2016 aptly says” I realized we are not doing scavenging because we are illiterate and poor. We are doing it because of the way society is organized” His fight is “When technology has advanced so much, why the work cannot be done mechanically?”  When India has committed to a massive Swaccha Bharat Abhiyan making country swaccha by 2nd October 2019, immediate inevitable need is to address the miserable plight of country’s manual scavengers and pay focused attention acknowledging the fact that manual scavenging is a question of human dignity rather than sanitation issues. Even after seven decades since Independence, it is a matter of national shame that thousands of scavenger families still live a socially degrading and inhuman life in the twenty-first century. Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, struggled throughout his life to ameliorate the working and living conditions of this section of society and to restore to them their lost human dignity. This article briefly highlights the curse of manual scavenging, weaknesses of the 1993 Law and rehabilitation program, proposed new Bill and suggests Action Plan to liberate and rehabilitate manual scavengers by the end of 2019 by drawing appropriate Road Map.


Author(s):  
Sugat B. Bajracharya ◽  
Kamala Gurung ◽  
Luja Mathema ◽  
Sanjay Sharma ◽  
Arabinda Mishra

Brick making in Nepal is an informal sector that is still highly labor intensive. It employs transient workers who are extremely marginalized and exposed to poor working and living conditions. This study assesses the working and living conditions of male and female brick workers and their children and looks to address the main issues and challenges to promote decent living and working conditions in the brick factories through action research. A rapid needs assessment was conducted to take stock of the working and living conditions of male and female workers across five provinces in Nepal. Subsequently, selected pilot interventions through stakeholder consultations were initiated to address these issues and challenges. There are a host of challenges faced by these workers in the factories, with the main issues being occupational health and safety and childcare/education for workers’ children. The study suggests that the working and living conditions of the workers can be improved by incentivizing the brick entrepreneurs to invest in them, thus creating a more productive workforce. Moreover, the findings from the pilot interventions can help in the design of effective solutions.


Semiotica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (211) ◽  
pp. 165-186
Author(s):  
Massimo Leone

AbstractPresent-day economically developed societies devote unprecedented attention to food. The culinary discourse, in all its facets, gains increasing centrality in cultures. Institutions, media, and common people are obsessed with what they eat. In Italy, a country already aware of itself with regards to food, gastronomy turns into the main concern, the most debated and cared of system of norms. Social phenomena like Slow Food and Zero Kilometer originate in Italy and then conquer the world, claiming that improving the quality of food is the way for a better planet. But what is the deep cultural meaning of this massive trend? What lies behind the culinary reason? Aesthetic neutralization of socioeconomic conflicts, chauvinistic marketing of stereotypes, and anti-intellectual subversion of sensorial hierarchies, the article contends.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Luis A. Valdez ◽  
Melanie L. Bell ◽  
David O. Garcia

Background and Purpose: Inadequate working and living conditions are associated with alcohol consumption in farmworkers in the U.S. However, the influence of these factors on alcohol consumption patterns in migrant farmworkers in Mexico remains unclear. The purpose of this analysis was to assess the influence of housing and working conditions on alcohol use in migrant farmworkers in Mexico. Methods: We used logistic and ordinal logistic regression to examine the association of living and working conditions on alcohol consumption and frequency in 3,132 farmworkers in Mexico with data from a Mexican national farmworker’s survey. Results: Living in inadequately built homes (OR=0.84; 95% CI=0.72, 0.98; p


Author(s):  
Christoph Mick

This chapter discusses everyday life under foreign occupation during the Second World War. Living conditions were very different depending on class, race, location, and time. People living in Poland, Greece, Yugoslavia, and the occupied territories of the Soviet Union were not only much more exposed to terror and mass crimes; their standards of living were also much lower than in western Europe. Some experiences, however, were shared. The chapter focuses on certain common daily experiences: procuring food and other daily necessities; the relationship between peasants and urban populations; the working and living conditions in cities and towns; the role of families and the importance of networks; and the impact of terror, destruction, and insecurity on society and individuals. Living under foreign occupation partly corrupted the moral standards governing human relations, but there was also solidarity which focused on a core group of people consisting of family and close friends.


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