Quand espace et objet de travail se confondent

Abstract

The paper looks at how working spaces are organised in the cleaning sector and appropriated by workers in this field. Analysing different work configurations, it highlights the specifics of spatial issues in the sector and their effects on power practices and relations. Space both frames work and is an object thereof. It is always shared, leading in turn to practices that can be highly contrasting, notably when they make the invisibility of work more visible. Using cleaning activities as an example, the article shows that working spaces are places where power relationships deploy. As such, they are constraints – even as they also constitute resources that individuals can put to good use.

Keywords

• cleaning
• power
• space
• increased visibility