Amélie Le Renard (2021) The Western Privilege: Work, Intimacy, and Postcolonial Hierarchies in Dubai

Abstract

Review of Western Privilege: Work, Intimacy, and Postcolonial Hierarchies in Dubai by Amélie (Saba) Le Renard (Transl. by Jane Kuntz, Stanford University Press. (256 Pages, Hardcover ISBN: 9781503613843, Paperback ISBN: 9781503629233, Ebook ISBN: 9781503629240)

Western Privilege overlooks a sociological perspective on the Western expats’ hegemony who are the privileged ones in Dubai from a feminist postcolonial perspective. The researcher Amélie Le Renard emphasizes transformations and reproduction of hierarchies that interlink race, nationality, gender, and sexuality. The researcher demonstrates concessions and privileges for the employees and the white collars who have Western passports and non-white employees and working class from other countries. Having a Western European passport reproduces the hierarchical division of labor in favor of getting well-paid, having higher positions, easier career jumping, and redoubling or rapid salary increase for Westerners in the job market, and having more working hours as opposed to getting less paid within resident permit problems for non-Westerners.