Paper short abstract:

Based on a case-study of Bangladeshi workers at a shipbuilding site Italy, the research highlights the interplay of irregular immigration and exploitative labor practices, which undoes the history of bonded labor in South Asia while doing new forms of dependency in the context of global capitalism.

Paper long abstract:

This paper explores the emerging dynamics of dependent relations amidst flexible capitalism and clientelism, focusing on the experiences of low-skilled refugees and migrant laborers. By delving into a case study of Bangladeshi workers at a prominent shipbuilding company in Genoa, Italy, the research highlights the complex interplay of global economic trends and localized socio-political structures. The plight of these migrants, trapped in a web of irregular immigration and exploitative labor practices, echoes the historical contours of bonded labor in South Asia, while simultaneously manifesting new forms of dependency in the context of global capitalism.

The study utilizes ethnographic methods, including interviews and participant observation, to unveil the nuanced realities faced by these migrant workers, who navigate through a maze of legal uncertainties and socio-economic vulnerabilities, oftentimes resorting to new forms of clientelistic bondage. This situation is not a mere replication of historical bonded labor, but a contemporary reconfiguration that incorporates elements of transnational mobility and neoliberal market forces (Gardner, 2018; Lewis&Hossein, 2022).

Furthermore, the research critically examines the role of patronage in irregular immigration, suggesting that it operates as a double-edged sword – providing necessary support for migrants while simultaneously perpetuating their subjugation (Rashid, 2012; Roy, 2017). The case study of the Genoa shipbuilding company serves as a microcosm, shedding light on broader trends of labor exploitation and dependency relations in the age of flexible capitalism. This paper calls for a reevaluation of labor policies and immigration laws, aiming to mitigate the exploitative conditions that many low-skilled migrant workers endure.