Bringing migrant domestic work literature into family studies: the intricate dynamics of au pair families

This thesis explores families with live in au pairs. In particular, it investigates the changes that families go through as a result of the addition of an au pair, as well as the means by which the host parents and au pairs negotiate their new circumstances of living and working together. From a theoretical perspective, the thesis is positioned between two bodies of literature, namely, those of migrant domestic work and family studies. Up until now, research conducted in relation to au pairs has mostly been done as a part of feminisation of migration and domestic work divisions. However, such studies do not focus on the family as a unit of analysis and on the diverse experiences of different family members. In terms of family theories, there is a general consensus among scholars that contemporary families are diversifying. Even though the heterosexual couple family is still the most common form, new types of families are emerging, such as lone parents, divorced parents, same sex couples, extended families, reconstituted families, foster families and transnational families. Although the field of family studies has directed attention to diverse family forms, families with live in au pairs have, so far, escaped attention. The host families who employ and live with au pairs have to reset and renegotiate boundaries between fictive kin, family member and domestic worker. This thesis addresses the gaps that are present in much of the literature on migrant domestic work; namely the multifaceted relationships between host parents and au pairs, and the diversity of au pair’s experiences. The role of an ‘employer’ is approached not only from the viewpoint of migrant domestic work, but also from a family studies perspective. This focus allows for a greater understanding of family roles, family time and family boundaries and how they are re-negotiated by au pair employment. The exploration of au pair families was conducted through qualitative analysis consisting of semi structured interviews with 18 host parents and 19 au pairs. The data illustrate that host parents developed various and lengthy strategies to ensure that their au pairs were ‘the perfect fit for their family’. This commodified version of an ideal au pair was largely affected by the host parents’ social class position as well as by their ideals of ‘the family’. Moreover, the degree of association, communication, relationship and involvement with au pairs, appeared to be very different between host mothers and host fathers. In accordance with the gendered roles and division of work within families, the interviews with host mothers and host fathers revealed that the au pairs were perceived as mainly the host mother’s responsibility. Host parents’ endeavours in creating the ‘au pair family’ were explored through their negotiations of ‘family time’. ‘General family time’ consisted of sharing family related activities with the au pair while ‘genuine family time’ meant that the au pair was not involved. Although au pair families navigated their proximity by negotiating their family time and relationships which revealed that families are adaptable, at the same time these host families were crowded with images of the romanticized traditional family. The thesis claims that the combination of family and migrant domestic work scholarship enables a greater understanding of how living with and employing an au pair is experienced and managed in everyday life. Following these empirical findings, it is argued that whilst host families ‘displayed’ flexibility and fluidity (Beck 1992), at the same time, the hegemonic notions of what families should be like indicate that traditional values still prevailed

Bringing migrant domestic work literature into family studies: the intricate dynamics of au pair families

This thesis explores families with live in au pairs. In particular, it investigates the changes that families go through as a result of the addition of an au pair, as well as the means by which the host parents and au pairs negotiate their new circumstances of living and working together. From a theoretical perspective, the thesis is positioned between two bodies of literature, namely, those of migrant domestic work and family studies. Up until now, research conducted in relation to au pairs has mostly been done as a part of feminisation of migration and domestic work divisions. However, such studies do not focus on the family as a unit of analysis and on the diverse experiences of different family members. In terms of family theories, there is a general consensus among scholars that contemporary families are diversifying. Even though the heterosexual couple family is still the most common form, new types of families are emerging, such as lone parents, divorced parents, same sex couples, extended families, reconstituted families, foster families and transnational families. Although the field of family studies has directed attention to diverse family forms, families with live in au pairs have, so far, escaped attention. The host families who employ and live with au pairs have to reset and renegotiate boundaries between fictive kin, family member and domestic worker. This thesis addresses the gaps that are present in much of the literature on migrant domestic work; namely the multifaceted relationships between host parents and au pairs, and the diversity of au pair’s experiences. The role of an ‘employer’ is approached not only from the viewpoint of migrant domestic work, but also from a family studies perspective. This focus allows for a greater understanding of family roles, family time and family boundaries and how they are re-negotiated by au pair employment. The exploration of au pair families was conducted through qualitative analysis consisting of semi structured interviews with 18 host parents and 19 au pairs. The data illustrate that host parents developed various and lengthy strategies to ensure that their au pairs were ‘the perfect fit for their family’. This commodified version of an ideal au pair was largely affected by the host parents’ social class position as well as by their ideals of ‘the family’. Moreover, the degree of association, communication, relationship and involvement with au pairs, appeared to be very different between host mothers and host fathers. In accordance with the gendered roles and division of work within families, the interviews with host mothers and host fathers revealed that the au pairs were perceived as mainly the host mother’s responsibility. Host parents’ endeavours in creating the ‘au pair family’ were explored through their negotiations of ‘family time’. ‘General family time’ consisted of sharing family related activities with the au pair while ‘genuine family time’ meant that the au pair was not involved. Although au pair families navigated their proximity by negotiating their family time and relationships which revealed that families are adaptable, at the same time these host families were crowded with images of the romanticized traditional family. The thesis claims that the combination of family and migrant domestic work scholarship enables a greater understanding of how living with and employing an au pair is experienced and managed in everyday life. Following these empirical findings, it is argued that whilst host families ‘displayed’ flexibility and fluidity (Beck 1992), at the same time, the hegemonic notions of what families should be like indicate that traditional values still prevailed

Le théâtre de Thomas Ostermeier. En quête d'un réalisme nouveau à l'appui de quatre mises en scène de pièces d'Henrik Ibsen

Le travail théâtral (de 1994 à 2010) du metteur en scène allemand Thomas Ostermeier est ici étudié : à travers son parcours professionnel (de la période de sa formation à l École Ernst-Busch à sa direction du théâtre de la Schaubühne de Berlin, en passant par celui de la Baracke), à travers ses choix esthétiques (sur le répertoire et la recherche de la narration, la revalorisation du récit, la direction d acteurs, etc.) et ses collaborations principales avec le dramaturge Marius von Mayenburg et le scénographe Jan Pappelbaum, et à travers l analyse des quatre représentations des pièces de l auteur norvégien Henrik Ibsen : Une Maison de poupée (Nora) en 2002, Le Constructeur Solness en 2004, Hedda Gabler en 2005 et John Gabriel Borkman en 2008. Il en ressort le constat que le théâtre de Thomas Ostermeier résulte d un subtil mélange d influences diverses et variées, jusqu alors souvent considérées comme opposées, contradictoires et incompatibles entre elles : les théories de Stanislavski, Meyerhold et Brecht coexistent et leurs procédés artistiques sont appliqués de façon complémentaire. Ceci est particulièrement visible dans le jeu des comédiens et, à l appui et resitué dans les scénographies architecturées de Jan Pappelbaum, cet assemblage donne des œuvres artistiques d un réalisme tout particulier, contrarié , qui devient même un signe distinctif du travail du metteur en scène, lequel a rencontré jusqu à aujourd hui un très grand succès public.This thesis studies the theatrical work (from 1994 till 2010) of the German stage director Thomas Ostermeier: through his professional career (from the period of his studies at the Ernst-Busch School, to his direction of the Baracke Theater and later to that of the Theater of Schaubühne Berlin), through his aesthetic choices (concerning his repertoire, his search for the stories and for the narration, his directing of actors, etc.) and his major collaborations with the playwright Marius von Mayenburg and the set designer Jan Pappelbaum, and finally through the analysis of his four representations of the plays of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen: A Doll's house (Nora) in 2002, The Master Builder Solness in 2004, Hedda Gabler in 2005 and John Gabriel Borkman in 2008. The thesis shows that the theater of Thomas Ostermeier results from a subtle mixture of diverse and varied influences, until then often considered as opposite, contradictory and mutually incompatible: the theories of Stanislavski, Meyerhold and Brecht coexist and their artistic methods are applied in a complementary manner. This is particularly visible in the acting of the comedians and, while situated in the architectonical sets by Jan Pappelbaum, this mixture bears artistic works of a very particular, perturbed realism, which becomes even one of the distinguishing features of the work of Thomas Ostermeier, which met until today an important public success.NANTERRE-PARIS10-Bib. élec. (920509901) / SudocSudocFranceF

: Une nouvelle séquence théâtrale européenne ? Aperçus

co-direction Christophe Triau, ISBN : 9782842603274Quelque chose a changé, quelque chose se transforme. De manière sensible, il est perceptible que les axes qui organisaient le travail des artistes et leur réception, les critères qui permettaient de les identifier ne sont plus les mêmes, non seulement par rapport à ceux des années 1960-80, bien sûr, mais aussi en regard de ceux du "jeune théâtre" des années 1990. Ce changement, il nous paraît important de tenter de le situer et de le comprendre : c'est le travail que les "aperçus" présentés ici se proposent d'amorce