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초록

This paper examines the industrialization of reproductive labor in Joanne Ramos’ The Farm (2019) through the lens of Marxist theory. 20th-century Marxist feminism emphasized the economic value of reproductive labor, which forms the basis for productive labor power in capitalism. In the 21st century, Ramos’ novel takes this economic value to an extreme by presenting Golden Oaks, a surrogacy facility that uses highly advanced technology. However, reproductive labor, which in part operates within the capitalist production system, affects women in The Farm by putting them into variously dire, terrible situations. To make this argument, the paper first explores how reproductive labor of The Farm utilizes the production of surplus value, contrasting it with private domestic labor. Then, the paper contends that this production system can lead to alienated labor of women workers, separating them from both the object of their labor and the laborers themselves. The paper finally suggests that Ramos’ emphasis on sensuously specific properties offer valuable insights into overcoming workers’ alienation.

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