{"product_id":"does-skill-make-us-human-migrant-workers-in-21st-century-qatar-and-beyond","title":"Does Skill Make Us Human?: Migrant Workers in 21st-Century Qatar and Beyond","description":"An in-depth look at Qatar's migrant workers and the place of skill in the language of control and power\n\nSkill―specifically the distinction between the “skilled” and “unskilled”―is generally defined as a measure of ability and training, but Does Skill Make Us Human? shows instead that skill distinctions are used to limit freedom, narrow political rights, and even deny access to imagination and desire. Natasha Iskander takes readers into Qatar’s booming construction industry in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, and through her unprecedented look at the experiences of migrant workers, she reveals that skill functions as a marker of social difference powerful enough to structure all aspects of social and economic life.\n\nThrough unique access to construction sites in Doha, in-depth research, and interviews, Iskander explores how migrants are recruited, trained, and used. Despite their acquisition of advanced technical skills, workers are commonly described as unskilled and disparaged as “unproductive,” “poor quality,” or simply “bodies.” She demonstrates that skill categories adjudicate personhood, creating hierarchies that shape working conditions, labor recruitment, migration policy, the design of urban spaces, and the reach of global industries. Iskander also discusses how skill distinctions define industry responses to global warming, with employers recruiting migrants from climate-damaged places at lower wages and exposing these workers to Qatar’s extreme heat. She considers how the dehumanizing politics of skill might be undone through tactical solidarity and creative practices.\n\nWith implications for immigrant rights and migrant working conditions throughout the world, Does Skill Make Us Human? examines the factors that justify and amplify inequality.\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0691217564\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: BVV.0691217564.G\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Iskander, Natasha\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact  including the dust cover, if applicable . Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Blue Vase Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43148779028541,"sku":"BVV.0691217564.G","price":7.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0589\/4225\/9261\/files\/0691217564-0.jpg?v=1777930238","url":"https:\/\/www.bluevasebooks.com\/products\/does-skill-make-us-human-migrant-workers-in-21st-century-qatar-and-beyond","provider":"Blue Vase Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}