CfP: Domestic Labor in Latin American/Latinx Cinema

This is an open call to invite papers for an edited volume on the filmic representation of female domestic labor in Latin American and Latinx Cinema.

Since 2000, Latin American cinema has produced a number of films that focus on the figures of domestic workers and how they negotiate power within the household. In general, and aside from a few key exceptions, academic scholarship fails to acknowledge the prevalence of these characters in cultural texts such as film and literature. Often both socially and narratively marginal figures, household workers at times serve to indicate their masters' socioeconomic status and/or to further the plot. These employees, in particular, the female nana, china, doméstica, criada, or muchacha, have been traditionally conceived through subaltern roles with limited agency in the margins of family and society due to class, gender, and racial differences. This edited volume, however, proposes to examine both feature and documentary films that question the marginalization of female domestic workers by making these women the center of the narratives, their families, and society. Each article will explore the role of female household workers in contemporary Latin American or Latinx films analyzing how these figures transcend their functional roles and become complex subjects that problematize hierarchical power structures within family and new socioeconomic orders.

We look to gather 10 to 12 articles that deal with this topic and correspond to the description above. At this time, we would like to invite you to present us with a preliminary title, abstract (500 words), and brief biography (50 words). Your abstract should describe your contribution to the volume and clearly identify the film(s) you will analyze. Please contact us with inquiries at any stage of your chapter/article proposal. Our deadline for abstract submission is October 1st. However, feel free to let us know as soon as you can if you are interested in participating in this project.