Like Family
Domestic Workers in South African History and Literature
Published on 1. April 2019
Book
Paperback/Softback
382 pages
978-1-77614-351-1 (ISBN)
Description
An analytic and historical perspective of literary texts to understand the position of domestic workers in South Africa
More than a million black South African women are domestic workers. Precariously situated between urban and rural areas, rich and poor, white and black, these women are at once intimately connected and at a distant remove from the families they serve. Ena Jansen shows that domestic worker relations in South Africa were shaped by the institution of slavery, establishing social hierarchies and patterns of behavior that persist today. To support her argument, Jansen examines the representation of domestic workers in a diverse range of texts in English and Afrikaans. Authors include Andre Brink, JM Coetzee, Imraan Coovadia, Nadine Gordimer, Elsa Joubert, Antjie Krog, Sindiwe Magona, Kopano Matlwa, Es'kia Mphahlele, Sisonke Msimang, Zukiswa Wanner and Zoe Wicomb. Like Family is an updated version of the award-winning Soos familie (2015) and the highly-acclaimed 2016 Dutch translation, Bijna familie.
More than a million black South African women are domestic workers. Precariously situated between urban and rural areas, rich and poor, white and black, these women are at once intimately connected and at a distant remove from the families they serve. Ena Jansen shows that domestic worker relations in South Africa were shaped by the institution of slavery, establishing social hierarchies and patterns of behavior that persist today. To support her argument, Jansen examines the representation of domestic workers in a diverse range of texts in English and Afrikaans. Authors include Andre Brink, JM Coetzee, Imraan Coovadia, Nadine Gordimer, Elsa Joubert, Antjie Krog, Sindiwe Magona, Kopano Matlwa, Es'kia Mphahlele, Sisonke Msimang, Zukiswa Wanner and Zoe Wicomb. Like Family is an updated version of the award-winning Soos familie (2015) and the highly-acclaimed 2016 Dutch translation, Bijna familie.
Reviews / Votes
"Like Family deepens our understanding of how the institution both reflects and reproduces the savage inequalities on which our society continues to be based." - Jacklyn Cock,author of Maids and Madams: A Study in the Politics of Exploitation "My hope is that Like Family leads to a national dialogue and a reassessment of domestic work. This is an important book for both maids and madams." - Sindiwe Magona, author of To My Children's ChildrenMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Johannesburg
South Africa
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
15 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
598 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77614-351-1 (9781776143511)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Ena Jansen was professor of South African literature at the University of Amsterdam until 2016.
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Note to Readers
Introduction Searching the archive
Chapter 1 Domestic workers in South Africa
Chapter 2 Enslaved women at the Cape - Precursors to the culture of domestic work
Chapter 3 Migrant women and domestic work in the city
Chapter 4 Legislation governing the lives of urban women
Chapter 5 Domestic workers in personal accounts
Chapter 6 Testimonies of domestic workers - Interviews, stories and a novel
Chapter 7 Domestic workers and children
Chapter 8 Domestic workers and sexuality
Chapter 9 Domestic workers in times of political unrest and protest
Chapter 10 Domestic workers in post-apartheid novels by white authors
Chapter 11 Domestic workers in post-apartheid novels by black authors
Chapter 12 Domestic workers on the threshold
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Note to Readers
Introduction Searching the archive
Chapter 1 Domestic workers in South Africa
Chapter 2 Enslaved women at the Cape - Precursors to the culture of domestic work
Chapter 3 Migrant women and domestic work in the city
Chapter 4 Legislation governing the lives of urban women
Chapter 5 Domestic workers in personal accounts
Chapter 6 Testimonies of domestic workers - Interviews, stories and a novel
Chapter 7 Domestic workers and children
Chapter 8 Domestic workers and sexuality
Chapter 9 Domestic workers in times of political unrest and protest
Chapter 10 Domestic workers in post-apartheid novels by white authors
Chapter 11 Domestic workers in post-apartheid novels by black authors
Chapter 12 Domestic workers on the threshold
Bibliography
Index