Racial capitalism, migration and the platform economy: emerging articulations of informality within digital precarious labor in Madrid
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2025
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Emerald
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Santamarina, A., & Fernández-Trujillo Moares, F. (2025). Racial capitalism, migration and the platform economy: emerging articulations of informality within digital precarious labor in Madrid. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-01-2025-0073
Abstract
Purpose: This paper examines how platform economies extract value from the exclusionary dimensions of migration regimes to drive accumulation. Through the lens of racial capitalism, we analyze how informality functions as a key mechanism in shaping novel forms of racialization, labor stratification and devaluation.
Design/methodology/approach: This study draws on cross-sectoral qualitative research based on in-depth interviews with migrant workers in cleaning, care delivery and multitask platforms in Madrid. We use a racial capitalism framework to explore the intersections between informality, exclusionary border regimes, platform labor and migrant agency.
Findings: Informality appears as a structural logic of platformization. We identify three critical ways in which platforms intersect with informality and precarious migration statuses: through account subletting practices; the amplification of racialized profiles assigned to specific types of work; and the emergence of new forms of violence shaped by intersections of gender, race and migratory status. Nevertheless, we underscore the dual role of informality not only as a driver for exploitation but also as a terrain where solidarities take shape.
Originality/value: The key contributions of this paper lie in its cross-sectoral analysis of platform labor, shifting the focus from specific working conditions to the structural dynamics inherent to platform economies, integrating an intersectional perspective into the study of labor experiences on digital platforms. We move beyond the conventional dichotomy between migrant vulnerability and traditional unionism, exploring alternative agencies and solidarity networks emerging within these contexts.
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