The organising of African women cleaners in Paris

Summary
This thesis uses an intersectional feminist lens to understand how migrant women workers from Africa organise for their labour rights in Paris.

Research topic
Precarious migrant African women workers' organising in Europe.

The aims and objectives
To understand how intersectional inequalities based on gender, race, migration status, and class shape African women cleaners' ability to organise and repertoire of actions. Specifically, I will look at whether these inequalities shape their motivations, modes of action, and alliance-building capacity. My research aims to answer the following questions:
1) Why do racialised women cleaners in France organise? This question will address motivations.
2) How do racialised women cleaners organise in France? This question will address modes and methods.
3) To what extent do racialised women cleaners collaborate with organisations, including trade unions, feminist, LGBTQ, and antiracist organisations? This revised research question has been stripped of all underlying assumptions and provides greater flexibility in my analysis.

Methodology
I conducted a 10-month fieldwork in Paris in which I carried out 35 interviews with cleaners, unionists, and activists who supported the organising of African women cleaners in Paris. I also spent a significant amount of hours observing their organising. Sites of observations included strikes picket lines, meetings, unions drop-in sessions, grassroots community organisations' events, debates, and fundraising events. I am analysing my data through coding and thematic analysis.