Pracownice chińskich fabryk

by Pun Ngai, Ewa Charkiewicz (Introduction)

Pun Ngai obnaża drugą twarz fenomenalnego rozwoju Chin: jest nią wyzysk młodych pracownic, migrujących z chińskiej wsi. Przez 2 lata pracowała i mieszkała z nimi, prowadząc badania na temat warunków pracy w fabryce elektronicznej w Specjalnej Strefie Ekonomicznej Shenzhen, w południowych Chinach.

Genres: China, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Ethnography, Feminism, Labor, Asia

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

Reviews

[Martyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

bardzo dobrze napisany i zrobiony reportaż. autorka patrzy na opisywane sytuacje z wielu różnych perspektyw, stara się dociec powodów różnych zjawisk i analizuje je dokładnie. książka bardzo dobrze przedstawia systemowo problem z kapitalizmem i wywołaną nim "indywidualizacją" (a w zasadzie alienacją i narzucaniem ciągłej konkurencji) osób z klasy robotniczej.

[Emma]

balanced theory with ethnography in a very sensitive way, despite what could have been a fairly exploitative research project if mishandled--particularly moved by the marxist-feminist take on bodily pain, menstruation, and Yan's dreams as forms of resistance in the face of the overwhelming nexus of industrial alienation and patriarchy. also really interesting reading this while thinking about the advent (and contradictions?) of market leninism in china and all that it entails for regional and global economies. more credit is due to ngai and her research!

[Yon]

excellent balance between theory and ethnography, and between the analysis of injustice and passion for justice. a must read for those who want to know who make your i phone.

[Daphne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting to work my way through the gendered labor debate of the 90s and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book was one of the best ethnographies I've read maybe ever. Ngai skillfully utilizes continental philosophy (D&G, Foucault, Irigaray, Kristeva), Marx (Capital, German Ideology, Manuscripts of 1844), and the life experiences of the Dagongmei (rural female migratory labor) at an electronics factory in Shenzen owned by Hong-Kong Capitalists after Deng's reforms and the designation of Shenzen as a special economic zone.

Ngai's study of China adds an interesting voice to the gendered labor debate by focusing on the triple oppression of the migratory peasant class (global capitalism, state socialism, familial patriarchy) because the Chinese party-state exists in contrast to the the other Global factories that exploit specifically young women's labor power, in that there is more deliberate planning by a central authority -- its not simply transnational commodity chains driven by major corporations like in the Ready Made Garment factories in Bangladesh or the Maquiladoras in places like Mexico and Nicaragua. I do wish somebody would write another ethnography in this vein (marxist-feminist and actually useful) now that we are 30 years on and a quarter of a way through the so-called "Chinese century"

"If Karl Marx has already pointed out that the division between town and country is the basis of the accumulation of capital, I add that sexual difference is another requirement, especially in the age of global manufacturing" (pp. 15)

[Siqi Qin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pun Ngai is an awesome scholar at this topic.

[amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

read for an anthropology course; loved it. adding it here because it left an impact on me and i've recommended it to many people. a very important read.

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read for uni and it was a decent read

[Tyler Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ethnology of the Dangomei. The author deplores how she arrived at the factory, what the conditions are for most Dangomei, where the workers originate from, and what can be expected of them long term. Despite the gap in time since published, the narrative she depicts is still relevant to most ODM facilities present in China , particularly southern China near Guangzho. If you really want to understand why people, not only in China,but other countries decide to work for less than $1 a day, read this book to figure it out. Big business = big $$ for the government so these conditions will remain for the foreseeable future.

[Sebila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, but not an easy read!

[Sakib · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep ethnographic analysis of one manufacturing plant in China, and how the workers there are exploited - subtly and explicitly, on a macro and micro scale, in a variety of ways.