Florence Degavre

What has Polanyi got to do with it? Undocumented migrant domestic workers and the usages of reciprocity: Global and Development Perspectives

In contemporary market societies, men and women are expected to be ‘commodified’ – to survive on resources stemming primarily from market exchange. Resources originating from redistribution (the welfare state) and reciprocity (social links and obligations) only supplement or temporarily replace market resources when individuals are unable to take part in the market. This chapter investigates the usages of Polanyian reciprocity in contemporary Western societies, based on exploratory qualitative interviews with undocumented workers who are or have been previously informally employed in the domestic services sector. The contribution starts with a brief outline of the Belgian migration regime and the country’s policies pertaining to domestic and care work. It then goes onto summarizing those elements of Karl Polanyi’s intellectual heritage that are necessary to understand the subsequent discussion of empirical evidence. Finally, the chapter identifies the functions that reciprocity fulfils for commodified migrant domestic employees. Three main functions are outlined: put employees in contact with (potential) employers, help employees stabilize employment, and alleviate the lack of access to redistribution.