Please join us for the next Centre for Mexico-Southampton Collbaration (MeXsu) seminar.

When: Wednesday 11th May, 5-6.30pm

Where: Building 65, Lecture Theatre C

Who: Prof Cathy McIlwaine, Queen Mary University of London

Onwards and downwards: labour market experiences of onward Latin American migrants in London

Drawing on recent research with the Latin American community in London that, this seminar outlines the particular experiences of Latin Americans who have migrated from other European countries with a specific focus on their labour market experiences. In conceptually re-thinking the notion of the ‘migrant division of labour’ (Wills et al, 2010), the discussion will explore how the global economic crisis prompted increased movement from Spain in particular and how perceived employment opportunities in London attracted migrants to the city. It highlights how in moving onwards, Latin Americans can secure low-paid work in cleaning, which effectively represents downward occupational mobility. Yet, while cosmopolitan London is deregulated market of migrant division of labour exploitation, it is also a paradoxical space of migrant rights and convivial life. As such, the paper argued that the process of onward migration complicates how we think about any continuum of labour exploitation.

The seminar will be accompanied by a short film on the experiences of Latin American onward migrants in the city.