Elana Resnick wrote a book based on two decades of fieldwork in Bulgaria. To learn more she lived in Sofia and for nearly a year worked as a contracted street sweeper on a team of 40 Romani women.
Street sweeping exposed workers to danger, abuse and tight supervision. Resnick describes a "waste-race nexus": the idea that people treated as disposable and the waste they handle become linked. She shows that EU rules to upgrade waste systems often rely on unrecognized labor, and she names small acts of solidarity as a form of refusal.
Difficult words
- fieldwork — work done outside an office, in real places
- contract — to hire someone under a written or fixed agreementcontracted
- expose — to put someone or something in danger or viewexposed
- nexus — a connection or link between things or ideas
- disposable — meant to be thrown away after one use
- solidarity — support and unity between people with same goals
- refusal — the act of saying no or not accepting
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How would you feel working as a street sweeper under tight supervision?
- What small acts of solidarity could help workers in difficult jobs?
- Why might some work be unrecognized even when it is important?
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