LIKE SLAVES: Experiencing Exploitation and Breaking Free

Alizée Delpierre

La Découverte, 216 pages. 2026

Why you should look at it:

√ A gripping and deeply empathetic piece of investigative sociology
√ A razor-sharp exposé on the invisible modern slavery thriving in our everyday communities
√ Blending rigorous social science with unforgettable human stories

In Like Slaves, sociologist Alizée Delpierre pulls back the curtain on the hidden world of extreme labor exploitation in modern France. Moving beyond her previously acclaimed work, Serving the Wealthy, which focused on elite domestic service, Delpierre demonstrates that severe abuse is not an exceptional crisis confined to the margins of society. Instead, she reveals how "modern slavery" thrives in plain sight within our everyday environments, from agricultural fields, vineyards, and construction sites to local restaurants, neighborhood shops, and private households.

Alizée Delpierre defines and conceptualizes overexploitation in ways that will resonate well beyond France. For if “modern slavery” exists in France, it is because migration, social, and economic policies foster a breeding ground for systemic dominance. By restricting legal status and worker protections, these policies create a highly vulnerable workforce, allowing abusers to operate with a troubling degree of institutional impunity.

Avoiding sensationalism and pity, the book focuses deeply on the human element, providing rich sociological portraits of those who enforce, endure, and escape these chains of servitude. Delpierre investigates the complex psychological dynamics between the exploiter and the exploited, unveiling the blurry lines where coercion often mimics consent. Ultimately, the work serves as a powerful testament to human agency, analyzing not only how these invisible workers survive extreme conditions, but also the solidarity networks and strategies they use to reclaim their freedom.

Alizée Delpierre is a sociologist and CNRS researcher. She specializes in domestic labor, great wealth, and, more broadly, relations of exploitation. She is the author of Serving the Wealthy: The Exploitation of Domestic Workers in France  (La Découverte, 2022) soon to be published by Princeton University Press.