Waiting in the welfare lines. Exploring everyday racism as waiting in the migration and unemployment complexes in England and Sweden

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores how different layers of waiting shape the everyday lives of women asylum seekers in the UK and unemployed women in Sweden. We examine the continuity of waiting between and within the migration, labour and welfare complexes. The analysis identifies three layers of everyday waiting: everyday waiting as repetition, everyday waiting as forced and denied work and everyday waiting as invisible and disposable time. We argue that the constant neglect of people’s time – and hence lives – enables exploitation, precarisation and insecurity. The article shows that waiting is a central aspect of how racism is organised and legitimised within the welfare system. While issues of waiting have gained increased attention in social work research, the relationship between waiting and racism remains undertheorised and understudied. This article attempts to contribute to this line of research.