Differences, Hierarchies, Subalternity: Discourses and Practices of Interventions for Immigrant Women

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the practices and discourses of social interventions aimed at female immigrants in Spain. From the findings of four research projects we revealed differentiation processes (BRAH, 1992) and the emergence of systematic distinctions grounded in gender, class, and national origin. The studies were conducted from a qualitative perspective, using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with professionals and immigrant women for data collection, and grounded theory methodology for structuring theoretical categories. The focus of our analysis was the constitution of a social category, "Third world women" (MOHANTY, 2003), corresponding to a monolithic subject that produces subalternization's effects (DUBE, 2001). Being a Third world women influences the subjectivity of migrant women and the professionals working with them and leads to a social incorporation that can be called "perverse inclusion" (SAWAIA, 2002). As a consequence, it seems natural that migrant women were placed in social spaces less desired by the rest of the society. Socio-historical processes that cause subaltern positions remain invisible.

URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1603195