“A Trade Like Any Other”? Social and Moral Taint in Animal Dirty Work

This article analyzes the discursive practices related to the professional identity of rat exterminators. I build on the framework of “dirty work” to demonstrate that social and moral taint are central elements in the narrativization of these identities. The study reveals that this identity is constructed on two levels: social, which designates identity built in opposition to the perceived negative social reception, and individual, the “internal” work of facing the ethical challenges associated with the profession, especially with killing animals. These two levels of identity work have a common core, which is a belief in the social utility of extermination work. Based on interviews, I identify four strategies used to rationalize eradication of rodents.