Worker Responses to Racial Capitalism and Job Displacement in Immigrant Labor Markets

This study, grounded in racial capitalism theory, investigates worker responses to undocumented immigrant exploitation and racialization in South Carolina. Using ethnographic methods and interviews, it examines alignment or divergence in worker and employer perspectives on immigrant labor as complementary or competitive. It uncovers a transition from a white/Black to a Black/Non-Black racial schema, introducing “categorical displacement” as a mechanism of oppression. The study emphasizes racialization’s role in job displacement, showing employers replacing Black and white workers with undocumented Hispanics under the guise of colorblindness. It provides insights into the intersections of race, gender, and immigration within racial capitalism.