Trabajo afectivo y explotación: procesos de subjetivación en el sector de la hostelería
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- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Abstract
Affective labour, defined by Hardt and Negri as the management and production of experiences, sensations, bonds, and emotions, is central to contemporary capitalism. Focusing on the hospitality sector, this article examines how the practice of affective labour blurs the boundaries between what is and is not work and explores its consequences. Through in-depth interviews with 36 workers in the sector, it analyses their experiences in workplaces such as restaurants, pubs, bars, nightclubs, and casinos. The production of leisure experiences for customers often requires the active participation of the worker, who becomes both producer and consumer. Practices such as flirting, sharing shots, and partying with customers before and after closing time are forms of production that extend beyond the working day and the workplace. Although they generate a direct profit for the organisation, these practices are not regarded as labour, which entails subtle forms of exploitation. They redefine the boundaries between leisure and work, the intimate and the work-related, involving not only mobilisation but also the constitution of workers' subjectivity and corporeality.
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