A multi-scalar continuum of domesticities

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A multi-scalar continuum of domesticities: Social and spatial hierarchies

Sebastien Chauvin, Claire Cosquer, Julien Debonneville, Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation, Vol. 20, No. 1, Hierarchies of domesticity: Spatial and social boundaries (2026), pp. 7-18.

This article introduces the special issue of Work, organisation, labour and globalisation (WOLG) on Hierarchies of domesticity (2026). It discusses the issue’s aims to approach the globalised economy of domestic work not merely from the standpoint of professions and services but by considering the varied forms of domesticity shaped by diverse social and spatial conditions. Accordingly, it examines the social and spatial hierarchies that structure this economy at the intersection of multi-scalar power dynamics. It presents the nine articles included in the special issue, which span a range of social and geographical contexts from elite enclaves to migrant households and from digital platforms to public squares. Together, these contributions describe domesticity as a dynamic field marked by the negotiation and contestation of boundaries.