Navigating Global Labour Studies with Bourdieu: insights from Romania’s seafaring history

ABSTRACT

Research in Global Labour Studies is mostly based on the work of Karl Polanyi. It aims to demonstrate that a ‘disembedding’ process is leading to the formation of a global ‘labour market’. This analytical scheme does not consider the historical struggles over the definition of the legitimate skills and qualifications needed for a profession; it does not allow one to study the confrontations over the training of workers that take place at the intersection of global logics and local constraints. Pierre Bourdieu’s notion of field allows a better understanding of these power relations. This leads us to consider that national fields still weigh heavily, in combination with a transnational field. An empirical investigation of the training of seafarers in Romania exemplifies the potential contributions of this approach.

KEYWORDS:

• Global Labour Studies
• Bourdieu
• Seafarers
• Romania

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Autobiographical sketch

Antoine Roger is full professor of political science at Sciences Po Bordeaux and a member of the Centre Emile Durkheim (CNRS & University of Bordeaux). After research devoted to the political economy of nationalism, then to the shaping of ‘economic interests’ by political parties, he now focuses on the political organization of capitalism.

Notes

1. In order to trace the history of the merchant navy in Romania, we cross-referenced works conducted by historians (Atanasiu & Atanasiu-Croitoru, 2011; Atanasiu-Croitoru, 2012; Ciorbea & Atanasiu, 1995; Corduneanu, 2010) and compared them with the information provided by the above-mentioned documentary sources.

2. The Foreign Trade Company (Întreprinderea de Comert Exterior - IEC) Navlomar Bucharest had a state monopoly on foreign trade in goods by sea. It owned only 11 vessels and relied on the fleet of IEFM Navrom for most of its activities. The Romanian-Libyan joint venture Roliship also owned two ships. IMTS Navrom hold 51% of its capital; the Libyan company Lafico controlled 49%.

3. The sale of Petromin’s ships was then the subject of a years-long judicial investigation that was widely publicised. The Romanian President Traian Basescu (2004–2014) was among the 80 defendants. A master in the merchant navy under the communist regime, he directed the Navrom agency in the port of Antwerp between 1987 and 1989 and then became head of the State Inspectorate of Civil Navigation (Inspectoratul de Stat al Navigatiei Civile ISNC). Between 1990 and 1991, he was Vice-State secretary, responsible for the Department of Naval Transport (Departamentului Transporturi Navale) at the Ministry of Labour. Just appointed Minister of Transport, he went to Oslo in April 1991, accompanied by State Secretary Calin Marinescu. The two men signed an association contract with Klaveness which led to the creation of the mixed economy company Petroklav. This screen facilitated the setting up of a new company, Petromin Overseas, established in Monrovia (Liberia), whose subsidiaries each owned a vessel inherited from the Romanian fleet. Some shipowners finally bought the tankers at prices far below their estimated value. In addition to questioning the legality of the transaction (due to a discrepancy between a 1972 decree and a 1992 government resolution), the courts suspected that the main protagonists had negotiated kickbacks. The lawyers obtained a waiver of the proceedings for infringement of the code of criminal procedure. Several expert commissions then examined the case. Their composition was highly controversial. The last report, submitted in 2007, concluded that there had been no harm done.

4. The second ‘training ship’ available to the ANMB is a military brig.

5. Founded in 1999 on the initiative of the Kobe University of Mercantile Marine (Japan), the IAMU have 65 member institutions. It aims to express common opinions to national governments and international organizations.

6. After having obtained their international certificate, a merchant marine officer may qualify for the ‘operational level’ and sail as a third and second category officer. After 24 months at sea and a further examination, they move up to the ‘management level’ and enter the first category by becoming Chief Officer (deck) or First Engineer (machinery). Four more years of service and a successful completion of a final set of tests are required to become a Commander or Chief Engineer.

7. Without eliminating all CO2 emissions, LNG offers an immediate alternative to the most harmful conventional fuels. To regulate its use, the IMO published the International Code of Safety for ships using Gases or other low-flashpoint Fuels – more commonly known as the IGF Code. The flash point is the lowest temperature at which a fuel emits flammable vapors. The flash point of LNG requires storage at −136°C. As of January 1, 2017, ship owners had to respect certain principles for the installation and maintenance of machinery. At the same time, the IMO voted on amendments to the STCW Convention, to specify the mandatory training and qualifications for seafarers who embark on vessels subject to the IGF Code.

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Notes on contributors

Antoine Roger

Antoine Roger is full professor of political science at Sciences Po Bordeaux and a member of the Centre Emile Durkheim (Pessac, France). After research devoted to the political economy of nationalism, then to the shaping of ”economic interests” by political parties, he now focuses on the political organization of capitalism. Among his recent publications are: Varietals of Capitalism. A Political Economy of the Changing Wine Industry, Cornell University Press, 2016 (with Xabier Itçaina and Andy Smith) and Capitalism Across the Fields. Studying the Political Structures of Accumulation, Editions Bord de l’eau, 2021 (in French). Antoine Roger has also edited six books and published some thirty articles in peer-reviewed journals