On 30 May, the short documentary ‘Invisible’ will be screened at QMUL’s BLOC Cinema (13:00-14:30). The film explores the daily challenges faced by domestic workers in Colombia who commute on public transport. Domestic workers’ journeys are invariably long, expensive, overcrowded and often dangerous, yet they must endure them twice a day to maintain their frequently undervalued jobs and to support their own families.

The 30-minute screening (in Spanish with English subtitles) will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A. We are delighted that one of the film’s directors, Dr Valentina Montoya Robledo, and a representative of the Nanny Solidarity Network (NSN), Sara Gomes, will be joining us for the discussion. For more details about this free event, and to register, please go to the Eventbrite page. 

This event is being organised as part of the AHRC-funded project ‘Affective and Immaterial Labour in Latin(x) American Culture’. For more information, see the blog site, which includes a co-authored blog post about the making of ‘Invisible’ and about the Invisible Commutes project.

[Eventbrite booking link: https://invisible-screening-panel.eventbrite.com]

You are warmly invited to the following research seminar, organized by the Centre for the History of Emotions

Laura Nys (QMUL), Love, grief and resistance. Young women and emotions in Belgian reform schools, 1900-1960

You can attend

• in person, at Queen Mary University of London, Arts One 1.36
• or online (request a link from e.carrera@qmul.ac.uk)

Abstract

This paper is a microhistory of young women and emotions in the Belgian reform school of Bruges in the early 20th century. As a state institution for juvenile offenders, the reform school imposed a harsh regime on the young women in view of their re-education. Using the women’s clandestine correspondence, of which intercepted fragments are preserved in the case files, this paper discusses romantic friendship, sexuality and the role of suffering in the women’s discourses. Personal correspondence with their families provides insights into the affective cultures of working class families, while a comparison between these types of correspondence allows to differentiate between discourses of love, friendship and family and the changes throughout time. The paper also considers the role of censorship, disciplinary power and subversive practices, exploring the possibilities for an ‘emotional agency’ in the disciplinary institution.

Dr. Laura Nys is a visiting scholar at the Centre for the History of the Emotions, QMUL. Her research is funded by the Independent Social Research Foundation. See her Profile page

Contact: l.nys@qmul.ac.uk