Melissa Sebrechts
Biographic Data
| ID | 306470 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melissa Sebrechts |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melissa |
| FAMILY NAME | Sebrechts |
| SIGNATURE | SEBRECHTS M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Humanistic Studies |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3751-6839 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 7 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 13 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 7 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Social suffering and (mis)recognition: How welfare officials respond to the critical voices of clients
Although there is not much attention for the concept of social suffering in studies on welfare policy and frontline work, it offers a valuable perspective for understanding both the harms that welfare clients endure and the ways in which state actors may either mitigate or compound this harm. Based on observations of 172 welfare encounters in the Netherlands, we contribute to the literature by empirically showing how welfare officials respond to …
Responses to Welfare Stigma in the Netherlands: The Importance of Developing a Non-stigmatised Identity
Increasing meritocracy has intensified negative perceptions of individuals in lower socioeconomic positions, especially welfare recipients, who are often viewed as incapable, lazy, or unmotivated. We conducted twenty-nine in-depth interviews with long-term social assistance recipients (SARs) in the Netherlands to explore their experiences with welfare stigmatisation. We used García-Lorenzo and colleagues’ (2022) typology to analyse SARs’ response…
Towards an empirically robust theory of stigma resistance in the 'new' sociology of stigma: Everyday resistance in sheltered workshops
Recent works on stigma have emphasised the importance of 'looking up' towards issues of power and stigma production. In that process, empirical attention to stigma resistance 'from below' has remained limited. When resistance is discussed, it typically takes the form of collective, organised and explicit resistance. Drawing on insights from resistance studies, this article pays attention to everyday practices of resistance that are subtle, unorga…
In praise of awkwardness in the field: Increasing our understanding of relational concepts by reflecting on researchers' emotion work
In this article, we develop a new avenue for understanding the informative value of researchers' emotions for qualitative research by deepening our understanding of awkwardness in the field. With this, we aim to develop Arlie Hochschild's notion of 'emotion work' further as a methodological tool. Awkwardness concerns discrepancies in researchers' emotions that require and reveal emotion work. The argument is that reflecting on emotion work perfor…
Divide and Conquer: Social Assistance Clients' Competing Frames of Social Justice
Like many other countries, the Netherlands have witnessed increasing conditionality regarding the right to social assistance. To date, research paid little attention to how recipients themselves experience (in)justice in an increasingly conditional policy landscape. Based on 53 interviews with recipients, we distinguish three different ways of framing social assistance: as a right, a transaction, or a gift. Each frame gives way to particular idea…
Unfolding recognition: An empirical-theoretical contribution to the concept
The past decades have witnessed growing interest in the concept of recognition, in social movements as well as in social theory. While the ‘recognition turn’ has made recognition a cornerstone in social and political philosophy, empirical interest – in sociology, anthropology and business studies – remains limited and has mainly focused on misrecognition and disrespect. As a result, recognition as a theoretical ideal remains largely divorced from…
Rituals of recognition: Interactions and interaction rules in sheltered workshops in the Netherlands
Recent decades have witnessed mounting attention to the theme of recognition, both in public policy and in the academic world. Scholarly debate on recognition is dominated by philosophers, while the policy debate is dominated by political and educational perspectives. A sociological perspective has scarcely been developed. In this article, we approach recognition as a sociological phenomenon with the aid of Collins’ theory of Interaction Ritual C…
Unfolding recognition: An empirical-theoretical contribution to the concept
The past decades have witnessed growing interest in the concept of recognition, in social movements as well as in social theory. While the ‘recognition turn’ has made recognition a cornerstone in social and political philosophy, empirical interest – in sociology, anthropology and business studies – remains limited and has mainly focused on misrecognition and disrespect. As a result, recognition as a theoretical ideal remains largely divorced from…
Towards an empirically robust theory of stigma resistance in the 'new' sociology of stigma: Everyday resistance in sheltered workshops
Recent works on stigma have emphasised the importance of 'looking up' towards issues of power and stigma production. In that process, empirical attention to stigma resistance 'from below' has remained limited. When resistance is discussed, it typically takes the form of collective, organised and explicit resistance. Drawing on insights from resistance studies, this article pays attention to everyday practices of resistance that are subtle, unorga…
Divide and Conquer: Social Assistance Clients' Competing Frames of Social Justice
Like many other countries, the Netherlands have witnessed increasing conditionality regarding the right to social assistance. To date, research paid little attention to how recipients themselves experience (in)justice in an increasingly conditional policy landscape. Based on 53 interviews with recipients, we distinguish three different ways of framing social assistance: as a right, a transaction, or a gift. Each frame gives way to particular idea…
Rituals of recognition: Interactions and interaction rules in sheltered workshops in the Netherlands
Recent decades have witnessed mounting attention to the theme of recognition, both in public policy and in the academic world. Scholarly debate on recognition is dominated by philosophers, while the policy debate is dominated by political and educational perspectives. A sociological perspective has scarcely been developed. In this article, we approach recognition as a sociological phenomenon with the aid of Collins’ theory of Interaction Ritual C…
In praise of awkwardness in the field: Increasing our understanding of relational concepts by reflecting on researchers' emotion work
In this article, we develop a new avenue for understanding the informative value of researchers' emotions for qualitative research by deepening our understanding of awkwardness in the field. With this, we aim to develop Arlie Hochschild's notion of 'emotion work' further as a methodological tool. Awkwardness concerns discrepancies in researchers' emotions that require and reveal emotion work. The argument is that reflecting on emotion work perfor…
Rituals of recognition: Interactions and interaction rules in sheltered workshops in the Netherlands
Recent decades have witnessed mounting attention to the theme of recognition, both in public policy and in the academic world. Scholarly debate on recognition is dominated by philosophers, while the policy debate is dominated by political and educational perspectives. A sociological perspective has scarcely been developed. In this article, we approach recognition as a sociological phenomenon with the aid of Collins’ theory of Interaction Ritual C…
Unfolding recognition: An empirical-theoretical contribution to the concept
The past decades have witnessed growing interest in the concept of recognition, in social movements as well as in social theory. While the ‘recognition turn’ has made recognition a cornerstone in social and political philosophy, empirical interest – in sociology, anthropology and business studies – remains limited and has mainly focused on misrecognition and disrespect. As a result, recognition as a theoretical ideal remains largely divorced from…
Divide and Conquer: Social Assistance Clients' Competing Frames of Social Justice
Like many other countries, the Netherlands have witnessed increasing conditionality regarding the right to social assistance. To date, research paid little attention to how recipients themselves experience (in)justice in an increasingly conditional policy landscape. Based on 53 interviews with recipients, we distinguish three different ways of framing social assistance: as a right, a transaction, or a gift. Each frame gives way to particular idea…
Towards an empirically robust theory of stigma resistance in the 'new' sociology of stigma: Everyday resistance in sheltered workshops
Recent works on stigma have emphasised the importance of 'looking up' towards issues of power and stigma production. In that process, empirical attention to stigma resistance 'from below' has remained limited. When resistance is discussed, it typically takes the form of collective, organised and explicit resistance. Drawing on insights from resistance studies, this article pays attention to everyday practices of resistance that are subtle, unorga…
In praise of awkwardness in the field: Increasing our understanding of relational concepts by reflecting on researchers' emotion work
In this article, we develop a new avenue for understanding the informative value of researchers' emotions for qualitative research by deepening our understanding of awkwardness in the field. With this, we aim to develop Arlie Hochschild's notion of 'emotion work' further as a methodological tool. Awkwardness concerns discrepancies in researchers' emotions that require and reveal emotion work. The argument is that reflecting on emotion work perfor…
Social suffering and (mis)recognition: How welfare officials respond to the critical voices of clients
Although there is not much attention for the concept of social suffering in studies on welfare policy and frontline work, it offers a valuable perspective for understanding both the harms that welfare clients endure and the ways in which state actors may either mitigate or compound this harm. Based on observations of 172 welfare encounters in the Netherlands, we contribute to the literature by empirically showing how welfare officials respond to …
Responses to Welfare Stigma in the Netherlands: The Importance of Developing a Non-stigmatised Identity
Increasing meritocracy has intensified negative perceptions of individuals in lower socioeconomic positions, especially welfare recipients, who are often viewed as incapable, lazy, or unmotivated. We conducted twenty-nine in-depth interviews with long-term social assistance recipients (SARs) in the Netherlands to explore their experiences with welfare stigmatisation. We used García-Lorenzo and colleagues’ (2022) typology to analyse SARs’ response…
Social Policy and Reform Studies (5 works) · Sociology (5 works) · Psychology (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works) · Political science (3 works) · Politics (3 works) · Social Work Education and Practice (3 works) · Ambivalence (2 works) · Emotional Labor in Professions (2 works) · Epistemology (2 works)