City Research Online

Abstract

This article explores the occupational identities of hairdressers and vehicle mechanics working in small and micro-firms. Using qualitative interview data from two UK cities, it examines the ways that workers expounded, reflected on and discursively reframed public perceptions of their occupation. A novel distinction between two types of identity reframing is proposed. ‘Crusaders’ are workers who reject characterisations as inappropriate for the occupation at large, whereas ‘mavericks’ accept that popular characterisations apply to other workers but differentiate themselves. The analysis identifies differences in occupational identity resistance strategies (crusader or maverick) when workers interact with two different publics: customers and trainees.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This article has been published in Scoiological Research Online, published by SAGE (https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780419867959). Reuse is restricted to non-commercial and no derivative uses
Publisher Keywords:	Customers; Hairstylists; Identity Resistance; Mechanics; Occupational Identity; Small Firms; Trainees
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Departments:	School of Policy & Global Affairs > Sociology & Criminology
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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