While it is true that Indonesian maids abroad often face terrible conditions, they have more agency than the public often give them credit for, and many also have creative pursuits like fiction writing. Recently, a new genre of literature has developed, one in which – often in short stories – these women reimagine their experiences as domestic workers in foreign lands.

What do these literary works reveal about their lives abroad and the challenges they face?

To discuss the agency and creativity of Indonesian foreign domestic workers, Dr Charlotte Setijadi chats with Dr Jafar Suryomenggolo who is an Assistant Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan. He is also the editor of an upcoming collection of 23 short stories written by Indonesian female foreign domestic workers titled ‘At a Moment’s Notice: Indonesian Maids Write on Their Lives Abroad’ published by NIAS Press.