The transracial aesthetic labour of an international teaching assistant
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
ISSN: 2040-7149
Article publication date: 25 June 2021
Issue publication date: 22 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces the concept of transracial aesthetic labour to understand why and how an international teaching assistant (ITA) vocally changes meanings of his racial identity.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a narrative analysis to detail instances of transracial aesthetic labour.
Findings
For the ITA, this labour involved orally distancing from or aligning with particular Indian stereotypes for specific contexts.
Research limitations/implications
Transracial aesthetic labour may occur in other industries that deem race an integral part of sounding right or looking good for the job.
Practical implications
The findings highlight the need for ITAs and universities to rethink the meaning of transracial to combat racist perceptions of ITAs' speech.
Originality/value
The paper advances the aesthetic labour literature by exploring how race is vocally performed for this labour and introducing ITAs as aesthetic labourers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Aarav for sharing his stories as well as Dr. Rupa Banerjee and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback on the article.
Funding: This research was supported by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship.
Citation
Ramjattan, V.A. (2021), "The transracial aesthetic labour of an international teaching assistant", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 40 No. 8, pp. 973-985. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-12-2020-0365
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited