Oaxacans Like to Work Bent Over: The Naturalization of Social Suffering among Berry Farm Workers

Overview

• Author: Seth M. Holmes
• Published by: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• Award: 2006 Rudolf Virchow Award
• Focus: Examination of the social suffering and structural violence experienced by Oaxacan berry farm workers in the Skagit Valley, Washington.

Geographic and Economic Context

• The Skagit Valley, Washington State is agriculturally significant with a history of family farming now threatened by agribusiness and urban development.
• The Tanaka Farm is a key location, employing hundreds of migrant workers primarily from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Migrant Workers' Living Conditions

• Migrant workers often live in poor conditions: shacks with inadequate insulation and facilities.
• Conditions include overcrowded, unsafe, and unclean environments, contributing to physical and mental health issues.

Ethnic and Citizenship Hierarchies

• Labor is segregated based on ethnicity and citizenship, creating a hierarchy:
  • Top: Anglo and Asian-American citizens
  • Middle: Latino American citizens or residents
  • Bottom: Undocumented Indigenous Mexicans (Mixtecos and Triquis)
• This hierarchy dictates job roles, with Triqui people often assigned the most strenuous, low-paid work.

Fieldwork Insights

• Fieldwork Methodology: Participant observation, interviews, and engagement with the community over 15 months.
• Holmes lived and worked alongside Triqui workers, observing firsthand the exploitation and hidden suffering in the camps.
• Engaged with workers across different locations, including their hometowns in Oaxaca and during border crossings.

Structural and Symbolic Violence

• The labor hierarchy is a form of structural violence resulting in unequal suffering, health issues, and exploitation.
• Symbolic violence involves the internalization and naturalization of social inequalities based on perceived bodily differences.
• Workers often justify their harsh conditions through ethnic pride and perceived physical resilience.

Health and Medical Context

• Migrant clinics often fail to address the social determinants of health, focusing instead on biological and behavioral factors.
• Clinicians may unintentionally blame patients for their health issues, not seeing the broader social context of their suffering.

Resistance and Naturalization

• While open resistance is rare due to fear of reprisals and deportation, workers use subtle forms of resistance within their constraints.
• Hierarchical oppression is often seen as natural due to symbolic violence, preventing effective challenges to the status quo.

Implications for Change

• Pragmatic solidarity is needed to denaturalize social inequalities, involve pickers in community programs, and educate health professionals about social determinants.
• Policy changes should address the economic and political determinants of migration and labor conditions, promoting fairness and equality.

Conclusion

• The article calls for a combined academic and activist effort to address the root causes of social inequality in agriculture and support migrant workers in achieving better living and working conditions.