Human Rights in Play, Transnational Solidarity at Work: Creative Playfulness and Subversive Storytelling among the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

• Published in: Critical sociology 2016-09, Vol.42 (6), p.861-875
• Main Author: Gouge, Melissa C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accountability; Agricultural workers; Equity; Farmworkers; Food; Grass roots; Human rights; International relations; Mass media; Metaphor; Music; Programming (Broadcast); Slavery; Social cohesion; Sociology; Sovereignty; Storytelling; Strikes; Supermarkets; Theater arts; Theft; Transnationalism; Work
• ISSN: 0896-9205; 1569-1632
• DOI: 10.1177/0896920515603110

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) employs creative playfulness and subversive storytelling in their human rights campaigns and solidarity-building practices. The article focuses on three particular media to illustrate how they construct transnational solidarity: (1) son jarocho music as a medium for organizing the March for Rights, Respect, and Fair Food targeting Publix Supermarkets for human rights abuses like wage theft; (2) mística theater as a medium for organizing the Encuentro gathering to build their campaign against Wendy’s for failing to free their supply chain from worker abuse; and (3) a grassroots community museum as a medium for building support against slavery. Creative playfulness and subversive storytelling contribute to successes built on human rights principles and realized through corporate accountability strategies. The article describes these media, and shows how they overcome challenges of building transnational solidarity. Finally, it suggests how the CIW has influenced recent farmworker strikes in Mexico.