CSWS Annual Review

“The First National Conference to End Sexual Harassment against Farmworker Women," poster displayed on wall at the headquarters of PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union, in Woodburn, Oregon.

Feeling Disposable: Exploring the Emotional Structure of Precarious Migrant Labor

by Lola Loustaunau, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology

“One time I hurt my back, because the work there is really heavy, and I remember she [the human resource director] made me cry, gave a warning and wouldn’t let me go to the doctor, and I felt so bad,” said Mercedes, a bakery worker, while seated on her couch. It’s an icy winter morning and we have been talking for a while. Although I had asked about work injuries the answer that Mercedes gave me went beyond stating that she had, in fact, injured her back while working. 

Author
Lola Loustaunau
Publication Year
2018
Publication type
Annual Review