Struggling in pandemic times: Migrant women's virtual political organization during the COVID‐19 crisis in Spain

Abstract

During the COVID‐19 pandemic in Spain, the lockdowns brought about the loss of labour and social rights for many migrant women working in highly informal employment sectors. Drawing on digital ethnography, this article examines the role of migrant women in political mobilization within migrant associations during 2020 in Spain, when online interactions assumed primary importance. First, it shows how migrant organizations create bricolage by combining economic, social, cultural and political resources to organize migrants in Spain during COVID‐19 within the digital space. Second, the article highlights how the reactions of the migrant population to the pandemic in Spain represent an act of disruption led mainly by women, within the dynamics of social conflict and political activism that characterize migratory processes. This analysis displays as well the crucial role played by care relationships in these contexts of crises.

Experiences of the Migrant Farmworkers during the Syndemic Due to COVID-19 in Spain

“…The COVID-19 syndemic led to the stagnation of the administrative paperwork in processes of legalization or asylum applications, which resulted in situations of great vulnerability for undocumented migrants or those having temporary documents. We are in agreement with Martín-Díaz and Castellani (2022) in that an efficient measure for guaranteeing the work of the MFs in activity considered essential, such as the fruit and vegetable sector, would have been the regularization of undocumented migrants, such as what was done in Portugal or Italy (Corrado and Palumbo 2022).…”

“…During the COVID-19 syndemic, a lack of compliance was observed with the labor laws, the health measures decreed (Pham et al 2022), the collective agreement in the agricultural sector, and their contributions (Martín-Díaz and Castellani 2022). There was a greater lack of social protection for the MFs, which increased their vulnerability and social exclusion, especially of women (Martín-Díaz and Castellani 2022;García-Pazo et al 2022). As in other studies, the participants highlighted that the MFs faced work obstacles such as a lack of compliance with labor guidelines with respect to the work and rest days, salaries below that stipulated in the agreement, lack of contributions or lack of action by the work inspectors (Castillero Quesada 2021; Pedreño Cánovas 2020).…”

“…These situations in which it is difficult to comply with the safety measures and the coverage of workers' basic needs is denied due to a lack of employment motivate the actions and support of the local administrations, in coordination with NGOs, to provide emergency resources and distribute first-need materials (Bacigalupe et al 2022;Corburn et al 2020;Jiménez Lasserrotte and Ruiz Fernández 2021). During the syndemic, the MFs became aware of their working conditions, increasing work conflicts and motivating workers to demand an improvement to their work rights (Martín-Díaz and Castellani 2022;Pedreño Cánovas 2020).…”

Alcances y limitaciones de la Teoría Marxista para el estudio de los procesos migratorios: Hacia una Teoría antropológica de las migraciones

“…Entre los migrantes, la tendencia a construir asociaciones y redes informales basadas en la connacionalidad, como la generación de relaciones transnacionales que les conectan con el país de origen y/o con otros escenarios de la diáspora migratoria, ha ido dando paso a una nueva tendencia que, sin abandonar las estrategias mencionadas, refuerzan la organización política basada en la condición de inmigrante dentro de las sociedades receptoras (Martín Díaz & Castellani, 2022). Una etnografía multisituada de la organización política y social de los migrantes demuestra que las estrategias organizativas de estos grupos desbordan el marco político delimitado por los Estados, y activan la identidad y la cultura como criterio para la movilización de capitales múltiples -económico, político, simbólico-y, en fin, para la canalización de estrategias colectivas.…”