(In)vulnerable Migrant Domestic Workers and the Gift Economy in Brett Michael Innes’ Rachel Weeping.
學年 114
學期 1
出版（發表）日期 2025-09-01
作品名稱 (In)vulnerable Migrant Domestic Workers and the Gift Economy in Brett Michael Innes’ Rachel Weeping.
作品名稱（其他語言）
著者 Kuo Chia Chen
單位
出版者
著錄名稱、卷期、頁數 Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies 51(2), p.83-107
摘要 This paper explores migrant domestic workers' vulnerability in Brett Michael Innes's novel, Rachel Weeping. I first argue that Rachel's economic migration from Mozambique to South Africa is driven by a poverty-stricken life, leading her to enter the "global care chains" (Hochschild, "Global Care Chains" 130). Her anguish at being undervalued is not solely directed at her employers, the Jordaans, but also extends to the hierarchical structure within the domestic employment sector, and further reflects the broader issues of unequal development within the global economy. Second, drawing upon Arlie Russel Hochschild's concept of "the economy of gratitude," I argue that when the Jordaans convey their generosity to Rachel through multiple gifts, they anticipate an equivalent amount of emotional commitment in return. However, Rachel's detachment demonstrates that in this employment sector, genuine emotional bonds between employers and their employees will never form as long as class, racial, and economic disparities continue to overshadow the employment relationship.
關鍵字 Brett Michael Innes; Rachel Weeping; migrant domestic workers; Arlie Russel Hochschild; economy of gratitude; gift
語言 en_US
ISSN 1729-6897
期刊性質 國內
收錄於 A&HCI
產學合作
通訊作者
審稿制度 否
國別 TWN
公開徵稿
出版型式 ,電子版,紙本
相關連結

機構典藏連結 ( http://tkuir.lib.tku.edu.tw:8080/dspace/handle/987654321/129366 )