Spirits of Resistance and Capitalist Discipline: Factory Women in Malaysia

295 Pages·2010·7.235 MB·English

by  Aihwa Ong

Spirits of Resistance and
Capitalist Discipline
SECOND EDITION
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SUNY series in the Anthropology of Work
June C. Nash, editor
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Spirits of Resistance and

Capitalist Discipline
SECOND EDITION
FACTORY WOMEN IN MALAYSIA
Aihwa Ong
Introduction by Carla Freeman

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Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2010 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval
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For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production by Ryan Morris
Marketing by Anne M. Valentine
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ong, Aihwa.
Spirits of resistance and capitalist discipline : factory women in
Malaysia/Aihwa Ong. — 2nd ed.
p. cm. — (SUNY series in the anthropology of work)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-3354-7 (hardcover: alk. paper)—
ISBN 978-1-4384-3355-4 (pbk.: alk. paper).
1. Peasantry—Malaysia—Selangor.
2. Selangor—Rural conditions.
3. Social change—Case studies.
4. Working class—Malaysia—Selangor.
5. Women electronic industry workers—Malaysia—Selangor.
6. Economic anthropology—Malaysia—Selangor. I. Title.
HD1537.M27054 2010
306.3’6095951—dc22
2010004832
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To my parents
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Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Introduction by Carla Freeman xv
List of Abbreviations xxi
PART I
Capitalist Development and Cultural Experience
1 Spirits and Discipline in Capitalist Transformation 1
2 Malay Peasants from Subsistence to 11
Commodity Production
PART II
The Kampung Society of Coastal Selangor
3 Tropical Confluences: Rural Society, Capital, and the State 37
4 Sungai Jawa: Differentiation and Dispersal 57
5 Domestic Relations: The Reconfiguration of Family Life 85
6 Marriage Strategies: Negotiating the Future 115
PART III
Neophyte Factory Women in Late Capitalism
7 The Modern Corporation: Manufacturing 141
Gender Hierarchy
8 Neophyte Factory Women and the Negative Image 179
9 Spirits of Resistance 195
10 Conclusion 215
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viii Contents
Notes 223
Glossary 239
Bibliography 245
Index 259
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List of Illustrations
TABLES
Table 1 Malay Population in Selangor, 1891–1957 18
Table 2 Crop Acreage in Selangor, 1933–1948 25
Table 3 P rices Obtained by Kampung Malay
Smoked Sheet Rubber, Selangor, 1932–1958 31
Table 4 Ethnic and Sexual Division of Estate Workers,
Selangor, 1948 32
Table 5 A creage Under Cash Crops in Kuala Langat,
1966–1978 41
Table 6 Estimated Average Monthly Incomes from
Malay Holdings, Kuala Langat, 1979 41
Table 7 Distribution of Households by Land Access,
Sungai Jawa, (Sample of One-Third of Total
Population), 1979 59
Table 8 Primary Occupations of Household Heads
by Land Access, Sungai Jawa, 1979 60
Table 9 Average Daily Work Time (in Hours) by Men and
Women in Forty Households, Sungai Jawa, 1979 64
Table 10 Average Daily Work Time (in Hours) by Girls and
Boys in Forty Households, Sungai Jawa, 1979 65
Table 11 Composition and Size of 242 Households,
Sungai Jawa, 1979 69
Table 12 Retention and Dispersal of Children 18 Years
and Older in 138 Families, Sungai Jawa, 1979 70
Table 13 A verage Labor Time Spent by Children and Adults
in Household and Income-Earning Activities,
Sungai Jawa, 1979 75
ix
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