Dr. Rajorshi Ray, gave the fifth talk in the HSRC Lecture Series for Monsoon 2024 on 25 September. His talk was on Refugees on the Platform- An Ethnographic Case Study of Intergenerational Social Mobility among Refugee Families in Kolkata’s Informal Economy. His presentation was drawn from his doctoral dissertation, Social Networks and Their Role in Structuring Entrepreneurship in Platform-Mediated Service Work in India, which was the result of fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Ajoynagar, Kolkata.
Dr. Ray began with an insightful overview of the platform economy, emphasizing its appeal to migrants due to low entry barriers. He highlighted a significant gap in existing literature regarding intergenerational social mobility in urban contexts, particularly among refugee families.
Using ethnography as a methodological tool, Dr. Ray explored the intergenerational social mobility of refugee families with at least one member engaged in platform-based work, such as driving for Ola or Uber. Through various case studies, he illustrated the complex interplay of factors influencing this dynamic, including entrepreneurial aspirations, the necessity of loans to finance assets (like cars), the pride and social mobility associated with ownership, the contribution of family members in repayment of the loan, and the impact of economic downturns, such as the pandemic, which can turn assets into liabilities.
In summary, Dr. Ray’s talk shed light on the precarious circumstances faced by platform workers and posed a critical question: How does the social history of refugee families shape the debtor subjectivity of platform partners?
October 2024