Laboring in the Shadow of Empire: Undergraduate student Lenny Adonteng on Professor Celeste Curington’s new book
By Lenny Adonteng (Sociology, Class of 2025)
Professor Celeste Curington’s new book, Laboring in the Shadow of Empire, offers an exploration of the intersections of race, gender, and labor in Portugal. This new work builds on themes she examined in her earlier publication, The Dating Divide, which focused on race and relationship formation within the United States. In sitting down with Curington, it became clear how deeply interconnected these two projects are, despite their seemingly distinct subject matter. Both utilize an intersectional lens, but while The Dating Divide scrutinizes algorithm-driven romantic connections, Laboring in the Shadow of Empire delves into the everyday realities of migrant labor. Together, these works underscore a critical truth: inequality is not isolated within any one system but is perpetuated across various institutional sites, from the personal to the professional. Curington’s dual focus highlights the necessity of examining multiple lenses to grasp the full complexity of structural inequities and the ways in which they are both confronted and reproduced.
When she first embarked on her research in Portugal, Curington intended to focus on domestic work within the informal economy, a sector often dominated by women and migrants. Existing literature painted a clear picture of this reality, but as she began fieldwork, she discovered a far more complex landscape. African and Cape Verdean women, she found, were significantly represented not only in domestic work but also in the formal care sector, particularly in institutional cleaning and elder care roles. This unexpected finding prompted a methodological shift that broadened her research scope. The formal economy, she realized, played a crucial but under examined role in perpetuating racial and gendered inequalities. This expansion of focus challenged prevailing narratives and revealed the nuanced experiences of African-descendant women navigating formal employment structures.
In her interviews and observations, Curington noted that care work in these formal settings encompassed far more than traditional notions of nurturing. Institutional cleaning, for example, involves a form of emotional labor that is deeply racialized and gendered. The women she spoke with often described feeling invisible, perceived as part of the urban infrastructure rather than as individuals performing essential work. Yet, their stories also revealed remarkable resilience. Elder care workers, for instance, often drew on their roles as nurturers to assert dignity and challenge societal expectations. They reframed their labor as a moral duty, criticizing families for neglecting their elders and thus dignifying their own contributions. In doing so, they flipped the script, transforming what society might view as menial work into an essential and honorable role.
In contrast, the experiences of cleaning workers highlighted a different struggle. Their labor was frequently devalued and linked to colonial images of servility. Unlike elder care workers, who could draw on their nurturing roles, cleaning workers faced a more pervasive sense of invisibility and degradation. They resisted not by embracing their work but by questioning the societal structures around them. Curington recounted how these women would challenge the messes left by others, using the racism hurled at them as a tool to repurpose derogatory language. They rejected the notion that their work defined them, instead turning the focus back on the broader society’s failures.
Throughout our conversation, Curington shared personal anecdotes that underscored the pervasiveness of race in Portugal, even within a context that often claims to be colorblind. She recalled an incident in a downtown Lisbon store, where she was with a friend and her daughter. Unaware that Curington’s friend spoke Portuguese, a store employee used a racial slur. When confronted, the employee dismissed the offense, claiming no personal animosity. The encounter, Curington noted, epitomized the unspoken yet deeply embedded racial dynamics she observed throughout her fieldwork. Despite official narratives that race does not matter in Portugal, everyday interactions told a different story.
This duality—of overt denial and covert prejudice—forms a critical backdrop to Laboring in the Shadow of Empire. Curington’s book does not merely expose systemic oppression; it also celebrates the resilience and agency of the communities she studied. The title itself suggests an enduring legacy of colonialism, yet the narrative concludes on a note of hope. Curington emphasized that while oppression is a pervasive reality, it does not define the totality of these women’s experiences. “There’s another history of resistance and complexity that runs parallel,” she explained. “My work aims to illuminate these dual narratives. Oppression lives on in many ways, but so does the human spirit’s ability to resist and redefine itself.”
Reflecting on the broader insights from her research, Curington spoke passionately about the importance of empathy and human connection in sociological work. “As sociologists, we need to care about humans—not just as subjects, but as experts of their own experiences,” she asserted. For her, meaningful research goes beyond observation; it involves genuine immersion in the community. Curington described moments of deep connection, such as babysitting for participants or sharing meals, which fostered trust and opened avenues for deeper understanding. This approach, she believes, is essential not just for academics but for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of human life.
In the end, Laboring in the Shadow of Empire is a call to see beyond structures of oppression and recognize the multifaceted realities of marginalized communities. It challenges readers to appreciate the resilience and dignity of migrant workers, understanding their labor not as a mere economic function but as a profound act of resistance. Curington hopes that readers will walk away with a deeper understanding of the intersections of race, gender, and labor, and a renewed appreciation for the strength found in everyday acts of survival and joy. “There’s a world of human complexity and resistance waiting to be uncovered,” she concluded, “if only we meet people where they are and truly listen to their stories.”
For more information about the book visit: Rutgers University Press