My dissertation centers on the experiences of domestic workers in Lima, Peru, from 1956 to 1985, with a particular focus on the claims they filed during those years against their employers. In my dissertation, I closely examine a collection of those claims that I found in the Ministry of Labor archives in Lima. I use the claims to argue that domestic workers were actively engaging with the state to assert their rights and challenge unjust labor practices. At the same time, my dissertation examines how domestic workers faced deeply entrenched household dynamics that resisted change, despite the official legislative recognition of their rights. Domestic workers' own narratives and claims provide a nuanced understanding of how they navigated and contested these challenges in the face of persistent societal and structural obstacles.
Advisor: Laura Gotkowitz
Committee Members: Alexandra Finley, Lara Putnam, Charles Walker (UC-Davis)
“Vida y trabajo de las empleadas domésticas en Lima, 1960-1980.” Trama: Espacio de crítica y debate, June 2023. https://tramacritica.pe/perspectivas/2023/06/12/vida-y-trabajo-de-las-empleadas-domesticas-en-lima-1960-1980/.
Presentations:
Latin American Studies Association (LASA) — Bogotá, Colombia (June 12-15, 2024) “Trabajadoras domésticas en Lima, Perú: su vida y trabajo, 1956-1985.” in panel on (Sobre)vivir y trabajar.
Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies (MACLAS) — Colgate University (March 15-16, 2024) “Domestic Worker Strategies in the Face of Changing Labor Policies in Lima, Peru, 1956-1985.” in panel on Societal Demand for State Protection and Social Services.
“Género y Sociedad” — San Marcos University, Lima, Peru (November 8 2023) Presented my article from Trama to an undergraduate class and engaged in discussion on the historical rights and working conditions of domestic workers in Lima.
CMU-Pitt Graduate Student Conference — University of Pittsburgh; (February 2020) “Building a New City: Domestic Workers and Migration in 1950s-60s Lima, Peru.”
Sarah Chambers Fellowship (2023-2024) for dissertation writing.
Lillian B. Lawler Fellowship (2022-2023) for archival research in Lima, Peru and dissertation writing.
Social Science Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (2021-2022) for archival research in Lima, Peru.
History Department Summer Funding (Summer 2020 and 2021) for pre-dissertation research.
Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) Research Grant (Summer 2019) for research for the MA essay in Washington, D.C.
“Work Forces” Andrew W. Mellon Foundation workshop (May 2019) for week-long workshop on collections in Pittsburgh’s museums and archives.
