Violence and resistance: Moroccan domestic workers after the closure of Spain’s southern border
Lucía Granda, Contratada predoctoral FPU, Departamento de Sociología, Universidad de Granada. lgranda@ugr.es. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5024-7728
Rosa M. Soriano-Miras, Profesora Titular, Departamento de Sociología, Universidad de Granada. rsoriano@ugr.es. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8296-2382
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of Moroccan women crossed the border between Melilla and Morocco on a daily basis to work in domestic employment, a consolidated niche sector of cross-border employment for low-skilled working-class women. When the border closed due to COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, many decided to remain in Melilla. Following the precepts of grounded theory and using biographical interviews, the paper investigates the survival strategies these women deployed following the border closure. An ambivalent process began: on the one hand, their labour conditions worsened, exposing them to worse situations of violence; on the other, they developed strategies of resistance and agency, assuming the role of breadwinner for their families and opting for a process of emancipation through inclusion and training opportunities in the city of Melilla.
Keywords: Spain, Morocco, domestic workers, Melilla-Nador border, cross-border work, structural violence, migration
Esta investigación se ha realizado en el marco del proyecto «Los procesos sociales en la tienda virtual: La compra de ropa de vestir después de la COVID-19» financiado por la Junta de Andalucía (2021-2022) (Código: PY20_00343). Asimismo, la participación de la doctoranda Lucía Granda está financiada por el Ministerio de Universidades de España a través del programa de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU).
How to cite this article: Granda Ortells, Lucía y Soriano Miras, Rosa María. «Violencia y resistencias: trabajadoras del hogar marroquíes tras el cierre de la Frontera Sur». Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.º 133 (abril de 2023), p. 91-112. DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2023.133.1.91
Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, nº 133, p. 91-112
Quadrimestral (January-April 2023)
ISSN:1133-6595 | E-ISSN:2013-035X
DOI: doi.org/10.24241/rcai.2023.133.1.91
Reception date: 08.11.22 ; Acceptance date: 17.01.23
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