Feminist and Anti-Colonial Critiques of Labor

Full Tuition: $300 — Scholarship Options in Drop-Down Menu

Instructor: Campoamor | Mondays March 13-April 17 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET | ONLINE

Work is a fundamental aspect of how we organize our worlds and give meaning to our lives. But not all work is valued equally, or even valued at all. Why is this the case? What are the implications of this? This course challenges dominant social scientific approaches to work, which continue to focus on waged employment, to consider the many, often invisible, ways work is and has been experienced in the Americas. We will focus primarily on what is considered Latin America and assess how colonial legacies influence the racialized and gendered character of work under neoliberal capitalism. Topics include: the increasingly blurry line between “informal” and “formal” economies, the limitations of the employment/unemployment binary, how unremunerated care work falls disproportionately on women and children; and the relationship between work and migration, within and across national borders. We will consider how workers resist exploitation and demand recognition through social movements and small acts of defiance. Through case studies that ground the contemporary in historical context, the course will encourage critical questions such as: What counts as work? How can we best conceptualize concepts such as exploitation, value, un/employment, informality, and work itself in the Americas today? What are the stakes of defining these terms in the ways that we do?

Classes are recorded to allow for students to participate asynchronously. If you want to take a class but cannot make the class time, sign up for the asynchronous audit option to follow along on your own. Recordings are password protected and will only be available for the duration of the class and two weeks after it ends.

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All tuition goes to paying instructors and staff a living wage. We encourage you to pick the payment tier that corresponds with your needs, but ask that you please consider our commitment to fair labor practices when doing so. We are currently able to offer three full scholarships per class, and one full scholarship per person per term. If the scholarship tier you need is sold out or you would like to pay tuition on an installment basis, please email us directly, and we will work with you.

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, please email us and we will reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.