Description
Book SynopsisEli Friedman argues that the Chinese state has become hemmed in by an "insurgency trap" of its own devising and is thus unable to tame expansive worker unrest.
Trade Review[Insurgency Trap] represents a central and innovative contribution to labor studies, linking as it does history, ethnography, biography, and theory into a revised Polanyian framework that scholars from a wide range of fields will certainly find useful. It is thoroughly researched and deftly theorized, advancing our understanding of labor, institutions, social movements, politics, and power in China. This book is vital reading for anyone interested in labor, globalization, transitional societies, and inequality more broadly.
-- Eileen M. Otis * American Journal of Sociology *
By identifying the insurgency trap and emphasizing the critical role of organizational and economic factors in shaping union activities, Friedman makes a valuable contribution to the literature. As the dynamics of worker-state interactions and the politics of labor representation are key for the future of the Chinese labor movement, Friedman's book is a must-read for anyone with interest in China's labor.
-- Mingwei Liu * ILR Review *
Table of Contents1. Labor Politics and Capitalist Industrialization
2. The History and Structure of the ACFTU
3. Guangzhou: At the Forefront of Union Reform?
4. Oligarchic Decommodification? Sectoral Unions and Crises of Representation
5. Worker Insurgency and the Evolving Political Economy of the Pearl River Delta
6. Chinese Labor Politics and the Global Economy
