Due to the nature of SEDOAC’s work, it was impossible to get one-on-one time with the women during the meetings, and they all worked full hours during the week, and did not have free time to sit down and talk about interviews. What I decided to do to compensate for this was to use an interview with my supervisor, Carolina Elias, so I could have context about why she said what she said and if I had heard this kind of discourse frequently in other SEDOAC events. This way I have a recording of what Carolina is stating to the world, and an opportunity for conversation about why that is what she wants to convey to the world.
I also have interviews with the members of SEDOAC from earlier this year that were already recorded (hence another reason I do not think they wish to or have time to sit down for interviews) supposedly coming from a previous fellow from the Universidad Complutense, but I have not gotten those interviews quite yet. I hope to integrate them into my project, because I think they would be a valuable resource for me to cite specific experiences that members of SEDOAC have had while in Spain.
As far as Carolina’s interview, I am using one that was on Telemadrid, a local news channel, immediately after a protest about the Convenio 189 (which is mentioned in a previous blog post I have about SEDOAC’s protests). She was interviewed there as a kind of representative for the movement, and it was inspiring to see her in such a strong leadership position amongst many different organizations. One of the things that struck me about her television presence was her clarity of thought and purpose while speaking. At some of SEDOAC’s events, she has repeatedly coached the women to speak more clearly and with more strength, and it was great to see her do so in a high pressure situation such as a television interview. I know she gives these kinds of speeches with these kinds of talking points often, but she still does not come across as extremely rehearsed, which I find impressive. She also has a commanding presence. The women of the organization often joke that she sounds like a politician, or that she should run for office, which she claims she might once she receives Spanish citizenship. She is able to convince people to listen to her in the way a politician should, and is able to get interviews for her grassroots organization on fairly popular television channels such as Telemadrid.
The biggest aspect of this interview that struck me however, in conjunction with my experience with the women at SEDOAC, is how frequently the women repeat her exact words when talking to me about the oppressions they face. At first I was not sure if this was due to Carolina being inspired by them or them being inspired by her, but after talking to one of the members (who said she was fine being paraphrased but did not wish to be recorded), I realized it was, at least for the most part, the women being inspired by Carolina. The woman I talked to admitted that a lot of the time she was not even sure what exactly she was saying, or what exactly Carolina was saying, she just knew that Carolina was looking out for her best interests and that Carolina knew what she was talking about, so she thought that when people asked her how she felt about the problems she faced, she would just directly quote Carolina because she likes the way it sounds. This conversation gave me an idea as to the full extent of Carolina’s impact on these women and anyone these women talk to about the problems they face. The discourse, at least in the context of SEDOAC, is almost entirely centered around one woman and her ideas. Many of the workers before SEDOAC knew that they faced a lot of problems, but could not necessarily describe the legal reasons why, or the social reasons why, and Carolina has given them a platform to explain their problems (and hopefully understand them as well). If I had another ten weeks in Madrid, I would love to explore just how much Carolina’s specific discourse around domestic workers rights has been adopted throughout Madrid, or even Spain in general.
In my last post, I talked about how I believe one of the most important things that SEDOAC does is creates a community for these women. I also believe that one of the most important things they do is that they create a platform, and give these women a way to vocalize the oppression they have faced, and to realize that there is something wrong with their treatment and that they should not just take it. By giving women the words to describe what is wrong with the way they are treated, SEDOAC is not only able to have an impact on domestic workers, but also hopefully these women’s employers, friends, and family. By giving women the words to explain themselves, hopefully they can extend their influence beyond domestic workers and start to have an even bigger influence in the Spanish legal system. Using Carolina’s discourse can also provide a kind of uniformity in their discourse, which could be helpful in uniting the movement as a whole. I believe the next step is just to ensure that the members know what they are saying, and have their own ways to vocalize their specific struggles in conjunction with using Carolina’s discourse to have a great impact.
SEDOAC. “Entrevista integra a Carolina Elías Presidenta de SEDOAC en Telemadrid.” YouTube. 16 April 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxkcVynS3wc.
This is a nice companion piece to what Vaclav wrote last week, which was a report on the four-day workshop on using A/V equipment and social media. That post helped me see the ways in which SEDOAC is trying to employ the tools of the contemporary public sphere to communicate its message, and your post helps me see where the message is coming from. The subject of charismatic leaders is an interesting one because democracy and collectivist movements really only work if everyone has equal access to shaping the seat of power and distribution of resources (right to the city stuff!). But, at the same time, it cannot be denied that some people are more skilled in the techniques that tend to gather power — that is, charisma, a fluid way of speaking, inspiring language, and clarity of purpose. Carolina seems to have that charisma, but it also seems that these workshops exist to help others see where they fit in the movement such that it is truly “leaderless” rather than centered on Carolina. I wonder what will come of those workshops and whether the voices of those who are more unsure of themselves and their understanding will rise to the surface. Oh, how I wish you could have done an interview along these lines!