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This is a fascinating ethnography about young Khmer women moving to the city to work in the garment factories, in prostitution, and as street sellers. The author makes good use of new theoretical approaches in anthropology that focus on negotiation and creativity in situations of rapid change. The result is not only a welcome new book on post-war Cambodia but an important addition to the literature on women, migration, and labor in Southeast Asia and the world. —Judy Ledgerwood, Northern Illinois University Khmer Women on the Move offers a fascinating ethnography of young Cambodian women who move from the countryside to work in Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh. Female migration and ur...
"Fragrant Frontiers is an ethnographically rich study that demystifies the contemporary spice trade originating from the Sino-Vietnamese uplands. ... The volume investigates the livelihoods of the ethnic minority farmers cultivating these spices across this mountainours frontier"--Back cover.
Carefully contextualizing the ethnography by taking scale and time seriously, the book shows why fieldwork is both necessary and insufficient if the aim is to make sense of the contemporary world. It is a significant contribution to the renewal of anthropological theory and methodology. Highly recommended! -Thomas Hylland Eriksen, University of Oslo, Norway With an eye for various scales, biographies of people and things, and processes as they take place, this book provides insights into how, to whom, and when things change, how it feels like - and also how some things stay the same. -Samuli Schielke, Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (Berlin) This important book, drawing on ethnographic resea...
Political scientists have, on occasion, missed subtle but powerful forms of ’everyday resistance’ and have not been able to show how different representations (pictures, statements, images, practices) have different impacts when negotiating power. Instead they have concentrated on open forms of resistance, organized rebellions and collective actions. Departing from James Scott's idea that oppression and resistance are in constant change, Resisting Gendered Norms provides us with a compelling account on the nexus between gender, resistance and gender-based violence in Cambodia. To illustrate how resistance is often carried out in the tension between, on the one hand, universal/globalised representations and, on the other, local ’truths’ and identity constructions, in-depth interviews with civil society representatives, politicians as well as stakeholders within the legal/juridical system were conducted.
This book is an ethnographic case study, based on first hand observation, of family businesses in the northern Vietnamese village of Ninh Hiệp along the Red River Delta, which became a major hub for textiles in the wake of the country’s shift towards market socialism. The author explores how the traders experience, negotiate and react to a marketization process that is markedly shaped by the state’s morally ambivalent governance, and which can be thus characterised as an admixture of socialist and neoliberal ideologies. How are traders shaping the political economy of Vietnam? How has the labour force changed as textile-handling has become an increasingly profitable undertaking? Horat explores the relationships between traders and local authorities, as well as changing ideas of masculinity and femininity. Focusing on the redevelopment of the market landscape and the increasing share of private ownership that have given rise to great uncertainty, this book provides a we ll-timed inquiry into current debates of economic development in a uniquely shaped market environment.
Transnational Crime and Human Rights offers an evaluation of the responses to the transnational crime of human trafficking and governance of the issue through a case study of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), which comprises Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The book analyses the international and national legal policy frameworks and the role of governments, international and national non-governmental institutions, and regional processes in responding to trafficking issues in the GMS. The book is based on the findings of a three year study conducted in the region, involving interviews with more than 60 individuals from relevant organizations and agencies, and examines the social, political and historical factors, including gender and age, labour exploitation and migration which form the background to human trafficking in the GMS. The authors consider issues of competing mandates, and gaps in strategies for protection and conclude with a discussion of broader lessons to be learned from the GMS situation and suggestions for future governance strategies in the fight against trafficking.
Dealing with the complex and discomforting ‘grey ‘area where sex, love and money collide, this book highlights the general materiality of everyday sex that takes place in all relationships. In doing so, it draws attention to and destigmatizes the transactional elements within many ‘normative’ partnerships – be they transnational, inter-ethnic or otherwise. Focusing on Cambodia, and on a subculture of young women employed in the tourist bar scene referred to as ‘professional girlfriends’, the book shows that the resulting transnational relationships between Cambodian women and their foreign partners are complex and multi-layered. It argues that the sex-for-cash prostitution fram...
As the twelfth most populous nation, the Philippines diverse religious and ethnic population makes it an ideal example of the changing tenet of what is deemed national security post 9/11. Issues previously considered social or public are now viewed as security issues. Food production is now analyzed in the context of food security and environmenta