Platform Labour, Migration, And Resistance: Organizing Against Hyper-Exploitation In Paris And Toronto's Food Delivery Industries

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dc.contributor.advisorTufts, Steven
dc.contributor.authorBaril, Emile
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-10T10:43:32Z
dc.date.available2025-04-10T10:43:32Z
dc.date.copyright2024-08-30
dc.date.issued2025-04-10
dc.date.updated2025-04-10T10:43:31Z
dc.degree.disciplineGeography
dc.degree.levelDoctoral
dc.degree.namePhD - Doctor of Philosophy
dc.description.abstractThis doctoral thesis combines empirical research and theoretical innovations aimed at comprehending the dynamics of platform labour within advanced-capitalist economies. Through case studies in Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, the thesis contributes to the evolving landscape of platform labour studies, migration studies, and labour geography. The over-representation of racialized immigrants engaged in platform food delivery has attracted significant attention from both academia and mainstream media, notably in Toronto with international students from India and in Paris with sans-papiers from Africa. Focusing specifically on migration and working conditions, this study unveils hyper-precarity in Euro-American cities. The primary objective of the thesis is to provide a new perspective that includes immigration and citizenship within current discourse on platform labour. Drawing inspiration from critical urban studies, migration studies, and science and technology studies, the research introduces two conceptual propositions: i) “citizen-rentier-ship”, designed to elucidate how various stakeholders benefit from precarious citizenship status, and ii) a “relational comparison” of platform labour resistance, offering insights into the evolution of the unrest against platform labour exploitation—a crucial facet of urban development. The thesis is based on extensive interviews with food riders, workers, spokespersons, and other key actors, shedding light on their capacity for self-organization within advanced capitalist societies. By exploring strategies, limitations, and the dimensions of resistance—both digital and physical—through interactions with riders and individuals who resisted deactivation, low wages, and algorithmic management, the research contributes to a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by these workers. The case studies place emphasis on migrant workers’ perspectives. They reshape ongoing debates about global platforms by centering attention on the bottom ends of labour markets. In conclusion, the study contends that the struggles of migrant workers are deeply entwined with labour laws, immigration policies, misclassification practices, and urban policies in France and Canada.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10315/42760
dc.languageen
dc.rightsAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.
dc.subject.keywordsFood delivery
dc.subject.keywordsTechnology
dc.subject.keywordsPlatform economy
dc.subject.keywordsResistance
dc.subject.keywordsRacial platform capitalism
dc.subject.keywordsHyper-precarity
dc.subject.keywordsRelational comparison
dc.subject.keywordsMigrant labour
dc.subject.keywordsCitizenship
dc.subject.keywordsMigration
dc.subject.keywordsRentiership
dc.subject.keywordsRacial capitalism
dc.subject.keywordsPlatform labour
dc.subject.keywordsParis
dc.subject.keywordsFrance
dc.subject.keywordsToronto
dc.subject.keywordsCanada
dc.subject.keywordsScience and Technology Studies
dc.subject.keywordsUber Eats
dc.subject.keywordsFoodora
dc.subject.keywordsFrichti
dc.subject.keywordsDeliveroo
dc.subject.keywordsSkip the Dishes
dc.subject.keywordsDoorDash
dc.subject.keywordsCitizen-rentier-ship
dc.subject.keywordsLabour markets
dc.subject.keywordsInternational students
dc.subject.keywordsSans-papiers
dc.subject.keywordsLabour geography
dc.subject.keywordsAlgorithmic management
dc.subject.keywordsImmigration policies
dc.subject.keywordsMisclassification
dc.subject.keywordsUrban policies
dc.subject.keywordsMigrant workers
dc.subject.keywordsLabour laws
dc.subject.keywordsState policies
dc.subject.keywordsFood riders
dc.subject.keywordsUnions
dc.titlePlatform Labour, Migration, And Resistance: Organizing Against Hyper-Exploitation In Paris And Toronto's Food Delivery Industries
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation

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