Final Oral Defense | Invisible Labour: Narratives of Student Assistants and Work in a Philippine University by Mr. Josemaria Fernando Y. Balboa III

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology
invites you to the Final Oral Defense

Invisible Labour: Narratives of Student Assistants and Work in a Philippine University

By

Mr. Josemaria Fernando Y. Balboa III
Master of Arts in Sociology Candidate

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 Venue, Date, and Time:

Online, 11 June 2024
10:00 AM – Onwards

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Adviser:

Jose Jowel P. Canuday, DPhil (Oxon.)
Ateneo de Manila University

Panelists:

Enrique Niño P. Leviste, PhD
Ateneo de Manila University

Eufracio C. Abaya, PhD
Ateneo de Manila University

Abstract

This thesis investigates student assistants (SA) and their invisible labour in university settings. The study makes visible the material conditions and dispositions of SAs as a hybrid of learners and workers who navigate teaching, administrative, and research work.  SAs and their labour are rendered invisible by sociolegal, sociocultural, and sociospatial mechanisms of invisibility. Drawing from a critical narrativist approach, a method combining critical reflection and narrative inquiry, this thesis delves into experiences and insights from conversations and engagements with my fellow SAs. The thesis also draws from my personal experience as an SA of two and a half years in graduate studies. From the standpoint of sociology of work and critical university studies, this thesis follows discourses on invisible work and labour relations of often over-looked staff in higher education.