Kaxton Siu's new book is an impressive comparative study of garment factory workers in Hong Kong, China, and Vietnam. It provides ethnographic detail and rigorous analysis of our understanding of labor, economics, and the state with a recognition of change over time.
Siu argues that the image that most readers might have of Chinese garment factories, with young girls migrating to factories, living in dormitories, with no autonomy, is outdated. It was more accurate in the 1990s, but he argues that scholars need to see beyond what he calls the “subjugation model” (p. 6).
His study is organized into three parts. First, Siu examines Hong Kong garment workers in the 1980s and early 1990s to provide a historical counterpoint to China and Vietnam's contemporary industries. Next, he looks at factories in Shenzhen in southern China (near Hong Kong) and the growing diversity of labor control and negotiations. He ends the...
