Grustyj Dance in Hong Kong

Footage: Yaluam Audio: Luna - Grustnyj Dance I only own footage, the video will be deleted at the request of the rights’ owners. Though 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. Ming-yan Lai Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong doi: