Empathy As Global Emotional Currency

This research examines the economic, social, and emotional inequalities in global service provision, focusing on the case of call centre workers in Colombia. It highlights how international outsourcing perpetuates these inequalities and reinforces the power imbalances between the global North and South. The study argues that empathy, seen as emotional capital, is a key requirement for call centre agents in the global South to meet the emotional demands of clients in the North. These emotional requirements reflect broader inequalities and precarious working conditions in international service provision.

By analysing the dynamics within Colombian customer contact centres, the study reveals how empathy functions as a form of emotional capital, commodified to meet commercial goals and reinforce unequal global relationships. It draws on the work of scholars like Illouz, Hochschild, and Bourdieu to explore how emotions are embedded within the capitalist system. The findings demonstrate that empathy, often viewed as a non-negotiable requirement, is reduced to a commercial tool yet remains ambiguous in practice.

This research is based on fieldwork in Bogotá, carrying on 46 semi-structured interviews, showing how empathy shapes service interactions and reveals the disparities in global outsourcing. Call centre agents are acutely aware of their position within the global service hierarchy, recognising the link between their working conditions and broader economic inequalities. This research underscores the importance of recognizing the emotional power imbalances within global hierarchies, as it is a crucial step towards addressing and rectifying these inequalities. Ultimately, this research contributes to understanding the emotional dimensions of global service provision, challenging individual responsibility for emotions, and calling for recognition of the emotional power imbalances within global hierarchies.