Prof. Hans LADEGAARD, Department of English and Communication

The good, the bad, and the ugly: An applied linguistics perspective on migrant domestic workers’ narratives. International Conference on Migration Linguistics. De La Salle University and University of Santo Thomas, Manila, 4 – 5 December 2025.

Abstract
Migrant domestic workers (MDWs) are one of the most vulnerable groups of migrant workers in the global economy. In this talk, I draw on a corpus of more than 500 narratives about MDWs’ lives and experiences. The stories can be divided into three broad categories: 1) good stories about proud and confident MDWs; 2) bad stories about the destructiveness of distance; 3) and ugly stories about abusive employers who subject MDWs to unspeakable cruelties and humiliations. I use examples from the women’s narratives to show how language is performative: MDWs’ confidence is destroyed through the employers’ demeaning discourses, but language can also be restorative and support the women in constructing new and hopeful stories about their future lives. Finally, I discuss how applied linguists might be able to carve out a space within migration studies where our linguistic focus on migration is taken (more) seriously.