Restructuring reality - narratives of work and identity

Abstract

Reality TV and the cultural industry exist at the forefront of the performative, attention economy. Examining the prevailing narratives of these two fields in comparison with their structural realities, highlights the power of narrative in shaping contemporary conditions of labor. Further, situating these fields within the context of two significant historical transformations of labor— primitive accumulation and the transition to biocapitalism— establishes how longstanding cultural narratives around difference and the needs of the market come together to shape the lives of individuals and the collective. This text situates the stories that have been told about labor— what counts as work, who should perform certain kinds of work, and which work is valuable— into the historical context of racialized and feminized labor. It examines how perceived divisions and definitions of work affect the organization and remuneration of labor, allowing for the widespread exploitation of precarized and feminized labor.