An Ethnography of Brazilian Domestic Workers in North London
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
De Souza Torresan, Angela;Evans, Gillian
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
224
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Ph.D.
Body granting the degree
The University of Manchester (United Kingdom)
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This thesis sheds light on what it is like to be a female Brazilian migrant domestic worker in London. I argue that for Brazilian women from a poorer background the reason for migration, while it is ostensibly to make money, is fundamentally to achieve personal and familial stability, the chance of a better life and, therefore, transformation. Based mainly on participant observation, life history and documentary film-making, this ethnography tells the story of a group of Brazilian women who were determined to make a living, or stabilise their lives, in a new place. They were pursuing moral and material projects against the odds, as part of their life as women who moved from different and sometimes remote corners of Brazil to clean and care for families that are not their own, in north London. However, these intentions were often complicated by the initial difficulties of the process of moving to greater stability, both practical and emotional. Crucial to this process is the impact of the recent political history of Brazil and the long history of the racialised Brazilian class system, in terms of both ideology and practice, on the womenâs subjectivity, even in London. By drawing on the experiences of Brazilian migrant women, this thesis contributes to studies on class in Brazil and domestic work more generally. More specifically, I ask how Brazilian people from different class backgrounds perceive their lives in London, and how their class background influences their experiences and opportunities in London.