Book Conversation with Emma Amador: "The Politics of Care Work"

In conversation with Cecilia Marquez, Emma Amador will discuss her recently released first book, The Politics of Care Work: Puerto Rican Women Organizing for Social Justice (Duke University Press, 2025), which "tells the story of Puerto Rican women's involvement in political activism for social and economic justice in Puerto Rico and the United States throughout the twentieth century. [Amador] focus[es] on the experiences and contributions of Puerto Rican social workers, care workers, and caregivers who fought for the compensation of reproductive labor in society and the establishment of social welfare programs." Emma Amador is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D. in History from University of Michigan​​. Amador is a historian of Puerto Ricans, Latinas in the United States, and women and gender. Her research and teaching experience cover Puerto Rican, United States, Caribbean, and Latin American history. Cecilia Marquez is the Hunt Family Assistant Professor in History at Duke University and previously taught Latino/a Studies at New York University. Her research focuses on the history of Latinxs in the US South from 1940-Present. Dr. Márquez writes and teaches about the formation of Latinx identity, Latinx social movements, and the importance of region in shaping Latinx identity. Her recent book is Making the Latino South: A History of Racial Formation (UNC Press, 2023). The Care Conversations Series invites leading scholars to discuss new books that reframe care across labor, gender, race, disability, and social justice. Each event pairs the author with a Duke interlocutor for cross-disciplinary dialogue. The Fall 2025 series will take place in Bay 4, Smith Warehouse, and is co-sponsored by the Revaluing Care Lab and campus partners. Light dinner served. RSVP to RevaluingCareLab@duke.edu. Learn more at www.revaluingcare.org.