Inside Refugee Support Work
An Ethnography of Language, Labour and Subjectivity
Published on 14. April 2026
Book
Hardback
300 pages
978-1-80041-283-5 (ISBN)
Description
Presents a situated, ethnographically grounded, sociolinguistic critique of politics of difference and inequality in contemporary Central Europe.
This book explores the construction of 'languaged' and professional subjectivities in the context of refugee support work in Austria. It presents ethnographic insights into how language and linguistic practice come to matter both as part of a migration infrastructure in transformation, and in the efforts within a particular institution to reinvent itself as it struggles for survival in the context of shrinking public and state support for refugee provision.
The author focuses on how transformation processes play out in counsellors' and volunteer interpreters' conceptions of themselves as professionals and speaking subjects when confronted with the political and ethical dilemmas of an increasingly precarised work context. It becomes clear that language, while being central to the services offered, remains a sign of Otherness in a 'languaged' institutional order.
This book explores the construction of 'languaged' and professional subjectivities in the context of refugee support work in Austria. It presents ethnographic insights into how language and linguistic practice come to matter both as part of a migration infrastructure in transformation, and in the efforts within a particular institution to reinvent itself as it struggles for survival in the context of shrinking public and state support for refugee provision.
The author focuses on how transformation processes play out in counsellors' and volunteer interpreters' conceptions of themselves as professionals and speaking subjects when confronted with the political and ethical dilemmas of an increasingly precarised work context. It becomes clear that language, while being central to the services offered, remains a sign of Otherness in a 'languaged' institutional order.
Reviews / Votes
This fascinating ethnography of an Austrian refugee support organisation provides an exceptionally unique window into the fault lines of inequality constituting the neoliberalised workplace in the non-profit sector. Through an extremely thorough analysis of empirical data, Hassemer builds a compelling case for centring language in the analysis of contemporary labour. * Eva Codo, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain * How does being a responsible and professional social service worker position one within relations of power? Jonas Hassemer's clear-eyed and thought-provoking ethnography traces the complex dynamics of language underlying refugee support work, uncovering the insidious process by which neoliberal subjectivities are crafted under precarious conditions of labor. * Joseph Sung-Yul Park, National University of Singapore * Through a carefully crafted ethnography and close attention to socially situated linguistic practices, this book offers rare and compelling insights into language as labor, as well as into the everyday lives and struggles of precarious institutions and workers committed to refugee support. * Alexandre Duchene, University of Fribourg, Switzerland *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
503 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80041-283-5 (9781800412835)
DOI
10.21832/HASSEM2835
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
Multilingual Matters
€14.49
Available for download
Person
Jonas Hassemer is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Linguistics, University of Vienna, Austria. His research focuses on ethnographic approaches to multilingualism, language and social inequality, subjectivation and the lived experience of language.
Content
Figures, Tables and Examples
Transcirption Symbols
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. From Speaking Subjects at Work to Languaged Workers
Chapter 3. 'We Have No Apartments'
Chapter 4. The Emergency List
Chapter 5. Being a 'Good' Counsellor
Chapter 6. Arabic-Speaking Staff
Chapter 7. Managing Volunteer Interpreters
Chapter 8. The Value(s) of Volunteering
Chapter 9. Volunteers' Meetings
Chapter 10. Conclusions and Outlook
Bibliography
Index
Transcirption Symbols
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. From Speaking Subjects at Work to Languaged Workers
Chapter 3. 'We Have No Apartments'
Chapter 4. The Emergency List
Chapter 5. Being a 'Good' Counsellor
Chapter 6. Arabic-Speaking Staff
Chapter 7. Managing Volunteer Interpreters
Chapter 8. The Value(s) of Volunteering
Chapter 9. Volunteers' Meetings
Chapter 10. Conclusions and Outlook
Bibliography
Index