Youngrong Lee, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology, has published her article “Class Identity vs. Intersectional Solidarities: Divergent Models for Organizing Gig Workers in Seoul and Toronto” in the International Journal of Comparative Sociology. The research, which draws from her extensive dissertation work, examines how gig worker unions in Seoul and Toronto develop distinct organizational strategies despite facing similar challenges from multinational corporations.
Through 21 months of international ethnographic fieldwork, Lee’s research reveals how local contexts shape different approaches to worker solidarity. While both unions demonstrate characteristics of new unionism in response to shared labour processes and multinational corporate pressure, they diverge significantly in how they construct worker identities and build solidarity. Her comparative analysis illuminates how specific axes of oppression influence the formation of worker subjectivities and collective action strategies in each city. An earlier version of this article received the 2024 I-CSK Student Paper Award for Korean Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, highlighting its innovative contribution to both labour studies and Korean studies.
Lee’s publication contributes to the ongoing scholarly conversation about the future of work and labour organizing. Her research offers valuable insights for both academics and practitioners interested in understanding how local contexts shape worker organizing strategies in the global gig economy.
Lee’s work as a comparative sociologist and global ethnographer brings a fresh perspective to the study of labour movements in the modern age. Her broader research examines how the gig economy transforms work arrangements and shapes collective responses across national boundaries. Taking an intersectional approach, she analyzes how multiple factors—including gender, race, citizenship, and class—influence workers’ experiences and their collective responses to the growing gig economy.
You can read the full paper here.