A different type of dirty work: Hidden taint, intersectionality, and emotion management in bureaucratic organizations

This study explores the intersectionality among identity markers, such as gender, race, and class, and emotion management in two bureaucratic organizations–municipal courtrooms and airport security checkpoints. We name and explor. new type of dirty work called “hidden taint,” which we describe a. larger, encompassing category of dirty work that involves the experience and dynamic co-construction of taint. Utilizing qualitative methods including participant observation and interviews, we compare how hidden taint is experienced in each bureaucratic context. The results focus on the relationship between (1) hidden taint and the co-construction of emotion norms and (2) hidden taint and power dynamics. This study extends communication theory by naming and describing hidden taint a. new type of dirty work, extending literature on emotion management and intersectionality by exploring their connection to dirty work in occupations with varying levels of prestige, and detailing how emotion management is co-constructed between employees and patrons in bureaucratic contexts.