Staying Connected: The Everyday Lives of Online English Teachers in the Western Balkans

This study delves into the complex subjectivities and desires of online English teachers in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated within the context of the Western Balkans' shifting migration trends and the rise of the gig economy. The study utilizes the theory of everyday life combined with Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy of desire, Michel Foucault’s insights into subject formation, and the concept of the new economy. 

Through a multidisciplinary approach, combining ethnographic, ethnopsychoanalytic, and semiotic methodologies, this research examines how these teachers' desires and pleasures intersect with their everyday experiences, emotional labor, and subject formation. It explores how online English teaching, as a form of gig work, affects their sense of self, identity, and belonging, and how it influences their decisions to remain in their home countries while participating in the globalized digital labor market. By analyzing the macro and micro perspectives, this research sheds light on the external influences shaping these teachers' desires and subjectivities, including public discourses, media narratives, and government policies. It also investigates the emotional labor involved in online English teaching, the commodification of their skills and identities, and the impact of these processes on their well-being and sense of self. Ultimately, this research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of language teaching, the gig economy, and (non)migration patterns in the Western Balkans, while providing novel insights into the complex relationships between desire, pleasure, and subjectivities in the digital labor market.