In early December 2022 we welcomed Prof. Julie HAM to talk about her work with migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. The event was online, and Julie joined us from a blizzard-struck Ontario, Canada, where she is now based after leaving Hong Kong University. At the core of her discussion was attention on the linkages between knowledge production and cultural production through creative works produced by migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. This was a compelling presentation and seminar, and all who attended benefitted hugely from Julie’s rich knowledge and her personable and engaging approach to her work and discussion of it.  

Julie’s focus is upon the creative works produced by migrant domestic workers in collaborative research, such as video, photography, and writing. Through discussion of these, we considered the knowledges that emerge about labour migration, and the work that stories and art do in local and global discourses. We touched upon the role of decolonial aesthetics in contributing to social change for migrant workers. A key part of the discussion was about how collaborating on creative endeavours with migrant domestic worker communities requires an understanding of the structural context in which creative labour emerges, and moreover – as Julie puts it – the interactions between narratives driven by migrant domestic workers and narratives tailored for diverse publics. Considerations such as this are so relevant for the research of the NEXUS team, particularly as we embark on our Navigating Belonging project.  

This presentation discusses the linkages between knowledge production and cultural production through creative works produced by migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, a global city characterized by diverse and creative domestic worker communities. Through creative works produced by migrant domestic workers, such as video, photography, and writing, we discuss the knowledges that emerge about labour migration, and the work that stories and art do in local and global discourses. In doing so, we offer a theoretical toolkit, grounded in decolonial aesthetics, for stakeholders involved in arts-based initiatives about migrant worker rights. More specifically, we explore the role of decolonial aesthetics in contributing to social change for migrant workers. We argue that collaborating on creative endeavours with migrant domestic worker communities requires an astute understanding of the structural context in which creative labour emerges, and the interactions between narratives driven by migrant domestic workers and narratives tailored for diverse publics. 

Zoom Link: https://hkust.zoom.us/s/97696921835
(Or alternatively - Meeting ID: 976 9692 1835; Passcode: 20221209)

Dr. Julie HAM is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Brock University. Her research centres knowledge production with migrant and minority communities and the criminology of mobility. For more information about her research, visit Mobile Methodologies and Migrant Knowledges at https://www.mmmk.ca/

Christine VICERA, a Filipino writer, researcher, and filmmaker from Hong Kong with a focus on relationship between memory, migration, and “post”-/anti-/decoloniality in the context of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, specifically the Philippines.

Jemima Joy GBADAGO is a multicultural social researcher, with extensive research experience on expatriates, immigrants, and migrant workers in Asia.