Martina Wilsch: Her migration – Slovak Care Workers in Austria Through the Lens of Transnationalism

We cordially invite you to attend the Institute Seminar entitled “Her migration: Slovak Care Workers in Austria Through the Lens of Transnationalism” by Martina Wilsch from the Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology. The seminar will be in English and it will take place online. If you are interested in participating, please fill out the simple form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezS5-Tv3PGt3d_sW3Pz22EFMk1hXWJ2jDgGzEPiXNVEnjooQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

On the day of the seminar, you will be sent Zoom meeting access details. The maximum number of participants outside of the institute is 50 people.

Event on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/391WFGW0a


Her migration: Slovak Care Workers in Austria Through the Lens of Transnationalism

Martina Wilsch, PhD., Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology

Monday, 11.12.2023, 14:00, online

The migration of Slovak care workers, particularly women, to Austria for the provision of paid 24-hour care to older adults has emerged as a significant phenomenon in Slovakia over the past three decades. At its zenith, more than 30,000 women sustained themselves through this occupation, periodically departing from their families in Slovakia, typically for 2 to 3 weeks, before returning home for an equivalent duration. Drawing on my extensive research, this presentation delves into the realm of transnational care migration from Slovakia to Austria, examining it through the lens of transnationalism during a period marked by concurrent crises—the care crisis and the pandemic. Moreover, it explores broader contexts encompassing social processes and transnational interactions, considering their implications for social institutions, global inequalities, and conflicts. The theoretical underpinning of the lecture rests on the anthropology of care, transnational migration, conceptual frameworks surrounding cross-border migration of care, and the crisis of care.