@article{f8ca87092110440facb9e6c84ca39090,
title = "Beyond the reach of ethics and equity? Depersonalisation and dehumanisation in foreign domestic helper narratives",
abstract = "This paper analyses narratives told by foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in a Hong Kong church shelter. The narratives provide evidence that FDHs appear to be untouched by the ethics and equity of Hong Kong society. They are denied the rights that apply to other groups: the right to eat, rest and talk; they are humiliated and denigrated, and the analyses show that this treatment may affect their self-perception. The paper considers local stereotypes and ideological representations as a possible cause for legitimising the exploitation of FDHs, and it recommends that researchers become engaged in social activism in the attempt to help FDHs rewrite their narratives of repression.",
keywords = "depersonalisation and dehumanisation, foreign domestic helpers, moral exclusion, narratives",
author = "Ladegaard, {Hans J.}",
note = "Funding Information: The research reported in the paper was supported by a research grant from the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong. I wish to express my gratitude to the staff and volunteers at the Mission to Migrant Workers, St John{\textquoteright}s Cathedral, and at the Bethune House shelter for migrant women, in particular, Cynthia Tellez, Edwina Antonio, Juvy Bustamante and Sol Pillar. I am also grateful to Nicola Wong, Junius Santoso and Febby Melissa for their hard work with the transcription and translation of data. Last but not least, I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the FDHs at Bethune House who willingly shared their stories with me and their friends. My admiration for them, for their courage and for the sacrifices they are making for their families, goes far beyond words.",
year = "2013",
month = feb,
doi = "10.1080/14708477.2012.748789",
language = "English",
volume = "13",
pages = "44--59",
journal = "Language and Intercultural Communication",
issn = "1470-8477",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "1",
}