Dancing to different tunes: Performance and activism among migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong

SynopsisThough arguably one of the most exploited and marginalized groups of women in the division of labor under global capitalism, migrant domestic workers (MDWs) do engage in activist struggle under some circumstances. This article explores why and how cultural performances are central to the activism of MDWs in Hong Kong. With reference to the problems of isolation, objectification, and public invisibility that are endemic to the MDW situation, I argue that cultural performances contribute significantly to MDW activism in three respects—building community and collective identity, making visible agency and capabilities of enacting different subjectivities, and visualizing diversity and differences in unity.