This book considers cultural representations of four different types
of labor within Italian and U.S. contexts: stories and songs that
chronicle the lives of Italian female rice workers, or mondine;
testimonials and other narratives about female domestic servants in
Italy in the second half of the twentieth century (including
contemporary immigrants from non-western countries); cinematic
representations of unwaged household work among Italian American
women; and photographs of female immigrant cannery labor in
California. These categories of labor suggest the diverse ways in
which migrant women workers take part in the development of what
Antonio Gramsci calls national popular culture, even as they are
excluded from dominant cultural narratives. The project looks at
Italian immigration to the U.S., contemporary immigration to Italy,
and internal migration within Italy, the emphasis being on what
representations of migrant women workers can tell us about cultural
and political change. In addition to the idea of national popular
culture, Gramsci's discussion of the social role of subalterns and
organic intellectuals, the politics of folklore (or 'common sense')
and everyday culture, and the necessity of alliance-formations among
different social groups all inform the textual analyses. An
introduction, which includes a reconsideration of Gramsci's theories
in light of feminist theory, argues that the lives of subaltern
classes (such as migrant women) are inherently connected to struggles
for hegemony. A brief epilogue, on a lesser-known essay by
photographer Tina Modotti, closes the discussion.
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780739144336
Publisert
2012
Utgiver
Vendor
Lexington Books
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter