Domestic service, affection and inequality: Elements of subalternity

• Stratified complementarity maintains domestic work in Brazil.
• Affective ambiguities support inequalities in Brazilian domestic service.
• Extra-wage payments and theft accusations disseminate hierarchic values.

SynopsisIn this paper I intend to present an ethnographic description of the movement of things, people, and affection in the context of domestic service in Brazil. Looking at everyday interactions, I explore the sociological dimensions (family organization, gender relations, and class structure) and the symbolic constructions (concepts of motherhood, childcare, reciprocity, care, and affection) as well as the political and infra-political dimensions (domination, subordination, and rebellion) of domestic service in order to better understand the elements at play in the Brazilian context.