The sponsorship system, also known as the kafala system, requires migrant workers to have a sponsor, who is also their employer, in order to work in Lebanon. Domestic workers are particularly affected as they are required to live with their employer and are excluded from the protections offered to other sectors under Lebanese labour law. Dalia discusses the gendered nature of the system and the difficulties faced by domestic workers in their everyday lives.

Dalia also shares her experiences of conducting research in Beirut, including the challenges of time management and emotional labour, as well as the positive reception she received from her interlocutors. Despite the difficult conditions in which many of the domestic workers lived, Dalia found inspiration in their resilience and the initiatives they created.

The podcast provides a valuable insight into the experiences of migrant workers in Beirut and the challenges they face within the sponsorship system.

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Dalia Zein defended her PhD thesis in Anthropology and Sociology in September 2022. Visiting Lecturer Rafael Sanchez presided over the committee, which included Retired Senior Lecturer Fenneke Reysoo, Thesis Supervisor, and Associate Professor Amrita Pande, Department of Sociology, University of Cape Town, South Africa.

Members of the Geneva Graduate Institute can access the PhD thesis on this page of the Institute’s repository. Others may contact Dalia at dalia.zein@graduateinstitute.ch.

Citation of the PhD thesis:
Zein, Dalia. “Sponsorship, Space and the City: Everyday Lives of Migrant Domestic Workers in Beirut.” PhD thesis, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, 2022.

Podcast produced by Michelle Olguin for the Research Office of the Geneva Graduate Institute.