Labour struggles as lived citizenship. Precarious migrant workers as agents of change

This article aims to contribute to the sociological critique of the dominant idea of citizenship. It introduces the often-overlooked question of labour conflict into the debate on "lived citizenship". Considering citizenship as something experienced, performed and/or negotiated by social actors (and not just assigned by institutions), this article discusses precarious migrant workers' collective practices in their spatial, relational, performative, and affective dimensions, drawing on ethnographic research conducted in London. By showing how these workers' intersectional and participatory labour practices can improve their working and living conditions, transform their political subjectivity and sense of belonging as well as promote socio-economic justice, the article argues for including grassroots redistributive initiatives in citizenship analysis. In doing so, the article also reveals the inconsistency in ideas about migrant workers' integration into an unequal, exploitative, and marginalizing status quo.