Recognition and ideology: assessing justice and injustice in the case of child domestic labor

Abstract

This article aims to add a new layer to the debate on ideology, work and recognition. It argues that Honneth’s concept of ‘ideological form of recognition’ has great theoretical strength to explain oppression, in a way that avoids adding subjugation to disadvantaged individuals. Still, Honneth’s account needs clarification to explain how oppressed individuals can overcome ideological recognition. To address these issues, this study draws on data from (i) news articles on child domestic labor (CDL), in Belém, Brazil, and (ii) focus groups with women who were housemaids in their childhood. Findings show contradictory logics in the spheres of love and work in CDL and advance understanding of the role played by justice advocators to overcome ideological forms of recognition.