Globality in exceptional spaces

Abstract

There has now emerged a rich body of scholarship on the ways in which special economic zones often comprise spaces of exception within nations. Theorists have noted, however, that special economic zones are far from homogeneous spaces. Accordingly, this chapter contributes to debates on within-zone disparities. Drawing on interviews with a diverse group of workers employed within India’s transnational technology sector, I explore the ways in which workers’ class positions structure their experiences of globality within zones of exception and their sense of themselves in relation to the global flows of capital. The analysis draws on interviews conducted with middle-class customer-service agents and low-waged service workers (housekeepers and security guards) employed within India’s transnational firms. I explore the dynamics of pride and subservience which are differently experienced by diversely located workers within zones of exception.