“ONCE THEY START SPEAKING ENGLISH THEY ARE RUINED”: THE WHITE RACIAL FRAME, EXPLOITATION DISCOURSE, AND NEUTRALIZATIONS WHITE EMPLOYERS USE FOR HIRING UNDOCUMENTED LATINO WORKERS A Dissertation by JUAN SALINAS Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Joe Feagin Co-Chair of Committee, Edward Murguia Committee Members, Holly Foster Felipe Hinojosa Head of Department, Denis O’Hearn August 2017 Major Subject: Sociology Copyright 2017 Juan Salinas ABSTRACT This research explores the racial framing, exploitation discourse, and neutralizations used by white employers that manage white, black, and undocumented Latino workers. White employers are uniquely situated to provide insights into the operation of systemic racism, capitalism, and, more specifically, the racial oppression of undocumented Latino laborers. Drawing from 26 in-depth interviews, this work analyzes the views of white and minority employers across several businesses including restaurants and construction firms in Texas. The research finds that employers have in- depth racial framing concerning white, black, and Latino immigrant workers that reinforces a racial hierarchy found in labor-intensive work. Employers engage in pro- immigrant racial framing based on the perceived work ethic of undocumented Latino immigrants that justifies their exploitability. This racial framing justifies low wages, barriers to promotions, and a discouragement of reporting injuries. This research also finds employers use the techniques of neutralization to rationalize hiring undocumented immigrants and breaking immigration laws. Employers adopt pro-immigrant and anti- government regulation views that are predominately fueled by their interests in the continual capitalist exploitation of undocumented Latino laborers. A major point of interest convergence exists where the white employers’ interest overlaps with the fight for legalization of Latino immigrants that may provide a catalyst for immigration reform. This study calls for further research into the views of white employers for understanding race and racism, labor rights, and the potential of immigration reform. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Manisha Salinas, and my sons. This journey is just the beginning, there is so much left for us to accomplish together. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was possible through the major support and encouragement from my advisor and committee chair, Dr. Joe R. Feagin. My perspective on society has significantly been impacted through his guidance. He is an insightful mentor that encourages critical thinking about the world through his research and teaching on the significance of race and racism throughout society. I am highly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work and learn from him over the past few years. My research was also possible through the guidance of my committee co-chair Dr. Edward Murguia who has been a great mentor during my graduate studies in the area of Latino Sociology. He provided the tools necessary for succeeding in graduate school and pursing my academic goals. I also would like to thank my other committee members, including Dr. Holly Foster who is a great researcher and teacher that provided critical feedback on my study, and Dr. Felipe Hinojosa, who was also supportive and committed to my academic success. Graduate school was a life changing experience and it would not have been possible without all of my friends, colleagues, departmental faculty and staff, and the many students who I have connected with over the years. Thanks also goes to all those that made it possible for achieving my academic goals at Texas A&M University. This includes, but is not limited to, Dr. Pat Rubio Goldsmith, Dr. Nadia Flores, Dr. Jane Sell, Dr. Nancy Plankey-Videla and many other faculty members, colleagues, and friends. A major thank you to all of the department staff, including Christi Barrera, Brenda Bernal, iv Bethany Edwards, Marissa Winking, and all others for their continual support over the years. Finally, thanks to all of my family and friends for being there for me, even while my academic pursuits took years and led me from Tennessee, to Hawaii, and to Texas. I would like to thank my parents Juan Luis Salinas Guerra and Irma Elia Salinas Hinojosa, my sister Daisy Salinas, we have been there for each other across time and across so many places. Also, thanks to Shiva Gautam and Bharati Gautam for their support over the years. Finally, thanks to my wife Manisha Salinas who has been my loving partner through this journey across life, we made our dreams come true together! v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a dissertation committee consisting of Dr. Joe R. Feagin, advisor and chair; Dr. Edward Murguia, co-chair, Dr. Holly Foster of the Department of Sociology, and Dr. Felipe Hinojosa of the Department of History. Funding Sources Graduate study was supported by the 2020 Vision Fellowship from the College of Liberal Arts. The funding for the study was provided by the 2020 Dissertation Enhancement Award from the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ............................................................. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ xi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 Why Do the Racial Views of White Employers Matter? ....................................... 3 Taking a Power-Conflict View of White Employers of Undocumented Immigrants ............................................................................................................. 6 Research Questions ................................................................................................ 9 Outline of Dissertation Chapters .......................................................................... 11 CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................ 18 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 18 The Race-Conflict Perspective ............................................................................. 19 Systemic Racism .................................................................................................. 21 Marxism and Race Conflict Analysis of White Employers ................................. 23 The Gender Conflict Perspective of Elite White Employers ............................... 26 Systemic Racism, Classism, and Sexism of Elite Whites .................................... 29 The White Racial Frame ...................................................................................... 30 White Racial Framing and Elite White Male Employers ..................................... 31 The Capitalist-Class Frame .................................................................................. 35 Colorblind Racism ................................................................................................ 37 Racial Framing in the Frontstage and Backstage ................................................. 39 The Techniques of Neutralization ........................................................................ 40 CHAPTER III LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY ............................... 42 vii Page Early Employer Studies on Racial Issues ............................................................. 42 White Employers Using Racially Coded Language ............................................. 45 White Employers Reproducing the Racial Hierarchy in the Workplace ............. 47 White Employers’ Racial Framing and Exploitation Discourse of Latinos ......... 50 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 52 Interviews ............................................................................................................. 52 Recruitment .......................................................................................................... 54 Participants ........................................................................................................... 56 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 59 Positionality .......................................................................................................... 62 The Elusive Employers: Doing Qualitative Research on Elites ........................... 65 CHAPTER IV WHITE VIRTUE IN THE WORKPLACE ............................................. 68 Introduction .........................................................................................................
Details
-
File Typepdf
-
Upload Time-
-
Content LanguagesEnglish
-
Upload UserAnonymous/Not logged-in
-
File Pages151 Page
-
File Size-