Labor in Livelihood Constellations along Coastal Plains

Abstract

Coastal plain economies are dependent on seasonal, low-wage labor for tourism, fisheries, construction, and other sectors. Historically, labor in these sectors has come from multiple social and cultural backgrounds: natives, legal and undocumented immigrants, visiting mariners, students, guestworkers, etc. Anti-immigration sentiments around the world have forced undocumented immigrants further underground while increasing demand for legal guestworkers, encouraging the growth of subcontracting and nonmarket labor relations, making work more precarious and laying the groundwork for human participation in livelihood constellations—or several activities that individuals and households combine for income, health, and well-being. Focusing on Eastern North Carolina, this paper examines how these processes influence local economies and the lives of working people, using this analysis as an occasion to critique market-emphasis economic analysis.