Institute of Human Geography Research Grant: Behind the glamorous fine-dining scene of Copenhagen: precarity and exploitation of skilled and unskilled, native and migrant labor

Institute of Human Geography has offered me a grant to study precarity and exploitation of skilled and unskilled, native and migrant labor in the glamorous fine-dining scene of Copenhagen. Copenhagen has recently emerged as the epicenter of the European fine-dining gastronomy. However, behind this glamorous show, lays the scene of highly precarious work, with working voices exposing several forms of exploitation increasing in the (social) media. I will study working conditions in the hospitality sector in Copenhagen, the implications of Covid-19 and the actions and response of workers, adopting a Marxist approach. By examining the conditions of late capitalism that push labor and precarity from ‘factories’ to ‘food scene’, I seek a better understanding of how late capitalism is structurally imbricated with precarity. Moreover, I will work with workers in meetings and focus groups towards the direction of establishing a grassroots labor union in hospitality in Copenhagen.