Phenomenology of Precarious Work in Iran

Abstract
This paper examines the lived experiences of economic precarity among Iranian workers. It seeks to understand why these workers choose a path of adaptation and hope in the face of a risky and insecure work environment. The study relies on the lived experiences of workers in precarious situations and draws on Lauren Berlant’s concept of “cruel hope”. It was conducted among young, educated men employed on short-term contracts in Iran’s industrial sector. This qualitative research utilizes in-depth interviews and participatory observation to investigate precarity as an emotional state. Through data collection, a distinct definition of hope emerges within the Iranian economic and geographical context, revealing that, despite enduring anger from structural barriers related to economic instability and feelings of being stuck, exhausted, or at a dead end, workers replace despair with actions of resistance against precarity. These actions include consumerism, religious beliefs, cinema, faith in meritocracy, and doctrines of self-help and individual responsibility. Ultimately, the findings indicate that the hope for success, as promised by the dominant economic system, remains powerfully and cruelly alive, motivating workers to strive for advancement in their occupations without retreating. 
Keywords: Industrial Workers, Sociology of Work, Phenomenology, Precarious Work.
 
1. Introduction
In recent decades, profound changes in employment systems across the globe have resulted in unstable economic conditions and precarious work. However, the study of precarity in the Global North has primarily focused on European-oriented experiences, treating precarious work as a global phenomenon (Alacovska & Gill, 2019). In contrast, new approaches emphasizing the Global South challenge the Western-centric nature of precarity, as many individuals in these regions have never experienced secure, predictable, and regular employment (Scully, 2016). In Iran, prolonged economic instability—largely a consequence of governmental political decisions—has significantly impacted citizens’ lives, with no immediate signs of integrated and stable economic policies. As a result, a considerable portion of the labor force in Iran’s industrial sector is now engaged in unstable employment, low-income jobs devoid of social support benefits. Precarity has thus become a chronic condition of this risky environment and is considered a normative state (Waite, 2009). Innovative studies that differ from previous literature in the sociology of work are needed to address precarious work in the Global South, specifically those that explore the adaptive and resilient lifestyles of citizens and strive to comprehend their actions and character. Against this backdrop, this research aims to understand how precarious workers in Iran’s industrial sector confront their unstable economic conditions and to explore the motivations behind the ambitions of future-oriented workers who continue to labor in such unpredictable contexts.
 
2. Materials and Methods
The concept of precarity emerged in the 1970s among European labor movements to describe evolving forms of part-time, irregular, and low-wage work (Molé, 2010; Pettit, 2019). Several studies from the Global South criticize the Western-centric nature of this concept, highlighting those experiences of “dead ends,” feelings of being “stuck,” “waiting,” and “passing time” characterize the emotional conditions resulting from precarious employment or long-term unemployment; these experiences distance individuals from normative life (Jeffrey, 2010). Jackson (2011) posits that what nurtures hope amid such circumstances is the desire for something beyond immediate reach. Researchers emphasize that hope must be contextualized within specific cultural frameworks, recognizing the unique conceptualizations of hope across different societies. Accordingly, this study seeks to uncover how hope is generated in unstable conditions while examining the nature of that hope. Understanding the lived experiences of workers under instability and their subjective definitions of that instability requires a phenomenological approach. Therefore, this research prioritizes the unspoken narratives of workers, removing preconceived assumptions and extracting themes and meanings from their experiences.
 
3. Data
The sample for this study comprises male workers with contractual employment and high-performance evaluation scores. Interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the research questions related to why some workers persist in unstable situations. The interviews were open-ended and unstructured, allowing for in-depth exploration of the participants’ perspectives.
 
4. Discussion
This study emphasizes the lived experiences of workers, shifting the focus from urban middle-class contexts to the production, distribution, and headquarters departments within a company. A significant observation from the interviews and observations conducted is the existence of a profound sense of hope as an emotional state that often contradicts external realities and sometimes seems willfully ignored. This research highlights the dreams and aspirations of men navigating the complexities of working life. Despite acknowledging the insecurity and contractual nature of their jobs, these men express satisfaction in having employment. The research seeks to elucidate how it is possible for individuals to expect productive, creative, and hopeful performances in the absence of a stable, responsive, and rewarding system. The interviews reveal clues regarding the motivations behind exemplary performance in these precarious work environments. Respondents often exhibit a desire to maintain a sense of agency despite their uncertain circumstances, resisting the inertia prevalent within the economic and political system. Observations indicate that when protesting employment conditions and the existing contract extension system, these workers are less inclined to align with their peers and prefer to improve their status through hard work and enhanced efficiency (as one respondent articulated: “showing off”). In essence, a brutal hope for the future prevents their activism and resistance against the structural inequalities that characterize their precarious positions.
 
5. Conclusion
This study draws on the research of Pettit and Berlant (Berlant, 2011; Pettit, 2019) to articulate precarity as an emotional state, emphasizing the role of feelings and emotions in understanding the lives of workers in critical and unstable conditions within the Global South. Precarious employment produces a sense of existential deadlock for individuals when their pursuit of normative dreams related to age, gender, and class is disrupted. Participants’ narratives reveal themes of individual responsibility and the necessity for double effort, as well as the role of hope as a cultural mechanism sustaining precarity. By relying on Berlant’s theory of ruthless optimism (Berlant, 2011), we can better understand how workers adapt to risky conditions. A culture of hard work, aspirations for the future, a belief in meritocracy, and reinforcement through self-help literature, success stories of global entrepreneurs, and religious narratives combine to foster a sense of hope (albeit often illusory) and sustain relentless effort.
Berlant describes the hope that arises in precarious conditions as “cruel” because it can harm individuals by justifying structural inequalities and emphasizing individual responsibility, often leading to a culture of blame. Despite this harm, people find it difficult to relinquish this hope (Berlant, 2011). In this study, the prevalence of hope emerges as a necessity for sustaining life. This highlights the tension between structural explanations of precarity and subject-oriented narratives. Everyday consumerism provides temporary distraction and happiness, while global narratives of meritocracy foster hope by overshadowing structural explanations and diminishing the potential for effective collective action against precarity. This research aligns with findings from other studies (Sandoval, 2018; Scully, 2016), which suggest that the same mechanisms that create precarity and risky conditions in this context also produce and disseminate content and narratives that divert attention from structural inequalities. As a result, these narratives can lead to burnout and frustration, redirecting focus toward individual motivation and effort.