Gomberg-Munoz 2010.pdf (180.98 kB)
Download fileWilling to Work: Agency and Vulnerability in an Undocumented Immigrant Network
journal contribution
posted on 2011-01-09, 00:00 authored by Ruth Gomberg-MunozRestriction-oriented immigration policies and polarizing political debates have intensified the
vulnerability of undocumented people in the United States, promoting their “willingness” to do
low-wage, low-status work. This essay draws on ethnographic research with undocumented
immigrants in Chicago to examine the everyday strategies that undocumented workers develop
to mediate constraints and enhance their well-being. In particular, I explore how a cohort of
undocumented Mexican immigrants cultivates a social identity as “hard workers” to promote
markets for their labor and bolster dignity and self-esteem. Much of the existing literature on
unauthorized labor migration has focused on the structural conditions that encumber immigrants
and constrain their opportunities. By shifting the focus to workers’ agency, this article
complements these analyses and shows how undocumented immigrants actively navigate the
terrain of work and society in the United States.