Relations of Care: The Contexts for Immigrant Care Workers in Northern Italy

Abstract

AbstractThis article provides insight into the experiences of South American low‐wage, immigrant care workers who provide care to elders in private homes in Genoa, Italy. An analysis of data collected during fieldwork in 2009–2010 focuses on the larger context of labor unions in Italy, the very intimate context of the home as worksite, and care worker strategies in this work sector. Using Aihwa Ong's concept of “self‐engineering” by workers in a neoliberal economy to examine how workers in this context negotiate their work lives demonstrates both the usefulness and limitations of this important concept in home‐based labor.