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Class on Screen

Sarah Attfield

Class on Screen The Global Working Class in Contemporary Cinema

Sarah Attfield School of Communication University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia

ISBN 978-3-030-45900-0    ISBN 978-3-030-45901-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45901-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: eStudioCalamar Cover image: Jetta Productions Inc, Getty Images This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG. The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

Acknowledgements

As I was preparing this manuscript for final submission, the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world and many people died. The subsequent lockdowns in many countries also led to sudden, mass unemployment as businesses and whole industries closed in attempts to reduce the spread of the virus. The pandemic threw the precariousness of work into the spotlight and revealed the huge numbers of people working on temporary contracts with no job security, no sick pay, and in some countries such as the US, no health insurance and therefore limited or no access to healthcare. It also made visible many working-class occupations that have previously been dismissed in disparaging terms as ‘low-skilled’. The need for and importance of cleaners, shop workers, delivery drivers and warehouse workers, as well as nurses and other front-­ line health-related staff, became apparent and in a complete reversal, these formally undervalued roles were celebrated. Cleaners became heroes along with nurses and doctors. The COVID-19 crisis continues as I write this, and despite some countries starting to ease their lo