The Dirty Work of Neoliberalism: Cleaners in the Global Economy

"An important collection drawing attention to the invisible workers whose work it is to fashion the visible.... The debates raised in this volume could be developed in many directions and it is no bad thing that we are left wanting more." (Geographical Journal, September 2008)

“Outhwaite’s familiarity with his subject matter is unquestionable, as is his desire to cover it thoroughly, and the book will serve well as a guide for philosophers to the most important work done by theoretical sociologists on the nature of society.” (Philosophy In Review)

“The Dirty Work of Neoliberalism offers a varied and insightful examination of the global restructuring of the cleaning industry and its implications for workers and their struggles. It offers a good mix of more structural and poststructural perspectives on these processes and their inherently scalar nature. Moreover, many of its most effective chapters, such as those by Bezuidenhuit and Fakier, show how work and social reproduction are strongly interrelated.” (Annals of the Association of American Geographers)

"Subcontracted cleaners are on the front line of contemporary capitalism. This important collection celebrates their labour, their humanity and their resistance."
–Jane Wills, Queen Mary, University of London

"In this excellent collection Aguiar and Herod capture the global dimension of a mundane type of work that until recently was invisible to most observers but which has recently emerged as a key node of new organizing. As the articles in this volume demonstrate, all the classic issues that have sparked labor protest throughout the history of capitalism are present in the work of cleaners - wages, working conditions, health and safety, and perhaps most important, human dignity."
–Ruth Milkman, University of California, Los Angeles