Resistentia feminarum in visionibus: Joint fantasizing as a practice of migrant women’s narrative resistance to the Caporalato system

The Caporalato system parallels the gangmaster framework, underlining illicit labor practices mediated by intermediaries. This system is entrenched in master narratives—culturally ingrained stories that dictate behaviors and perpetuate power disparities, safeguarding the privileges of the elite. Within this oppressive framework, women face heightened challenges, including increased vulnerability to human trafficking and exploitation. This study explores the counter-narratives developed by women in response to Caporalato’s master narratives. It gathers empirical data from naturally occurring meetings with 11 women from diverse African nations, conducted between January 2023 and July 2023. Using the joint fantasizing approach, which focuses on collaboratively constructed stories with potential future impacts, the study unveils three prominent themes of resistance: ‘My son will make me a queen’, ‘My body will set me free’, and ‘I want to stay at home!’. This analysis reveals that effective resistance through counter-narratives does not rely on forming a single, unified story opposing the master narrative. Rather, these narratives selectively challenge and sometimes adopt aspects of the dominant stories they confront.