JennyChan.PhDThesis.2014.FINAL

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suicide cluster represents a phenomenon that has no precedent in China’s industrial history, and perhaps in that of any other country. 5 Foxconn hired western and Chinese psychologists and psychiatrists to defend it in the wake of the plague of worker suicides at the company. After “the 9 th Foxconn jumper” committed suicide on 11 May 2010 (seven had passed away since January), nine Chinese sociologists 6 formed an independent team to issue a public statement calling on Foxconn and the Chinese government to act decisively to end the tragic chain of suicides. It reads: From the moment they [the new generation of migrant workers] step beyond the doors of their houses, they never think of going back to farming like their parents. In this sense, they see no other option when they enter the city to work. The moment they see there is little possibility of building a home in the city through hard work, the very meaning of their work collapses. The path ahead is blocked, and the road to retreat is closed. Trapped in this situation, the new generation of migrant workers faces a serious identity crisis and this magnifies psychological and emotional problems. Digging into this deeper level of societal and structural conditions, we come closer to understanding the “no way back” mentality of these Foxconn employees. 7 Unlike the first wave of internal migrant workers, who left the countryside to work in special economic zones in coastal China for several years before returning home, the younger and better-educated cohorts now massing in China’s cities appear to reject the regimented hardships their predecessors silently endured as cheap labor 5 Pun Ngai, Shen Yuan, Guo Yuhua, Lu Huilin, Jenny Chan and Mark Selden, 2014, “Worker-Intellectual Unity: Trans-Border Sociological Intervention in Foxconn,” Current Sociology 62(2), pp. 209-22; and, The Asia-Pacific Journal, 2014, Vol. 12, Issue 11, No. 3, March 17. http://japanfocus.org/-Shen-Yuan_/4093; Jenny Chan, 2013, “A Suicide Survivor: The Life of a Chinese Worker,” ew Technology, Worker and Employment 28(2), pp. 84-99; and, The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 11, Issue 31, No.1, August 12. http://www.japanfocus.org/-Jenny-Chan/3977; Jenny Chan and Pun Ngai, 2010, “Suicide as Protest for the New Generation of Chinese Migrant Workers: Foxconn, Global Capital, and the State,” The Asia-Pacific Journal 37-2-10, September 13. http://japanfocus.org/-Jenny-Chan/3408; Jenny Chan, 23 May 2010, “Dying Young,” Hong Kong: Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior. http://sacom.hk/archives/640 6 The nine signatories of the open statement dated 18 May 2010 are: Shen Yuan (Tsinghua University), Guo Yuhua (Tsinghua University), Lu Huilin (Peking University), Pun Ngai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Dai Jianzhong (Beijing Academy of Social Sciences), Tan Shen (China Academy of Social Sciences), Shen Hong (China Academy of Social Sciences), Ren Yan (Sun Yat-sen University), and Zhang Dunfu (Shanghai University). 7 Full text in Chinese: http://tech.sina.com.cn/it/2010-05-19/13214206671.shtml; English translation: http://sacom.hk/appeal-by-sociologists-address-to-the-problems-of-new-generations-of-chinese-migra nt-workers/ 2
and second-class citizens. In their defiant deaths, the workers call on the Chinese nation — and international society — to wake up before more lives are sacrificed. 8 The large banner on the ground reads, “What is the price of a human body?” The banner on the top right says, “Dreams shattered.” Taiwanese demonstrators place flowers to remember the Foxconn Chinese worker victims on 28 May 2010. Photo credit: Wang Hao-zhong. Through their own expressions, workers share their frustrations, their hopes for a better future, and their fight for decent work and human dignity. Foxconn worker Yan Jun wrote this poem in memory of her brothers and sisters who had committed suicide: For My Departed Brothers and Sisters 9 I’m just like you I was just like you: 8 Jenny Chan, 2011, “iSlave,” ew Internationalist, Issue 441, 1 April. http://newint.org/features/2011/04/01/islave-foxconn-suicides-workers/ 9 Yan Jun (her pen name)’s poem is entitled “Zhi wo siqu de xiongdi jiemei” ( 致我死去的兄弟姐妹 ). The poem was dated 27 May 2010, following the “12 th jump” in five months since January at Foxconn’s facilities in Shenzhen, Guangdong. 3
Page 1 and 2: The Labor Politics of Global Produc
Page 3 and 4: Contents Abstract Acknowledgements
Page 5 and 6: Acknowledgements Professors Chris S
Page 7: Chapter 1 Introduction To die is th
Page 11 and 12: Pressed and squeezed so tightly I c
Page 13 and 14: mobility from within rural and urba
Page 15 and 16: who were born in the 1960s and who
Page 17 and 18: Foxconn’s meteoric rise to become
Page 19 and 20: intervention is political because t
Page 21 and 22: company leaders have now been made
Page 23 and 24: My selection of two Foxconn mega fa
Page 25 and 26: Overview of Chapters This dissertat
Page 27 and 28: I anticipate that in the long run w
Page 29 and 30: aspects of the government’s labor
Page 31 and 32: Nationalist Party brutally suppress
Page 33 and 34: marked the re-opening of the domest
Page 35 and 36: Chinese society as in the West, wor
Page 37 and 38: (1966-1976) and its unprecedented a
Page 39 and 40: define away labor issues as those o
Page 41 and 42: survey. In all cases, however, migr
Page 43 and 44: levels. In fact, from the 1990s, pe
Page 45 and 46: Capital transforms favoured rural a
Page 47 and 48: American, European, Japanese, and S
Page 49 and 50: workers are opening up. As capital
Page 51 and 52: Chapter 3 China’s Rise and Foxcon
Page 53 and 54: has been tightly bound with Chengdu
Page 55 and 56: enhanced Chinese export competitive
Page 57 and 58: Both the Chinese state and workers
Page 59 and 60:
Soon after the Spring Festival, the
Page 61 and 62:
Foxconn 60 th in 2011, 43 rd in 201
Page 63 and 64:
successive revolutions in informati
Page 65 and 66:
Figure 3.1 Foxconn Employees and Re
Page 67 and 68:
subsidiaries, was located in Xixian
Page 69 and 70:
In many provinces, Foxconn runs mul
Page 71 and 72:
Local governments in Sichuan set up
Page 73 and 74:
Besides underwriting Foxconn’s hi
Page 75 and 76:
iPhones and iPads for Apple and ear
Page 77 and 78:
Chapter 4 The Foxconn-Apple Connect
Page 79 and 80:
from the fourth floor. 293 Miraculo
Page 81 and 82:
store outside the United States) at
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Table 4.2 Apple’s Revenues by Ope
Page 85 and 86:
global production network. While Ap
Page 87 and 88:
In this era of the mobile technolog
Page 89 and 90:
circuit boards, and assembly, to re
Page 91 and 92:
long-term workers to raise producti
Page 93 and 94:
Foxconn management, facing stiff pr
Page 95 and 96:
In a vast construction site of half
Page 97 and 98:
Apple in the opening line of its Su
Page 99 and 100:
the Sichuan Provincial Propaganda D
Page 101 and 102:
information and power asymmetries t
Page 103 and 104:
sealed tightly in cement burying my
Page 105 and 106:
20 percent were between 26 and 30.
Page 107 and 108:
The spatial organization of modern
Page 109 and 110:
work itself. “We cannot move past
Page 111 and 112:
At about 8 a.m. on 17 March 2010, Y
Page 113 and 114:
After the basic wage increase in Ju
Page 115 and 116:
New workers at Foxconn receive a th
Page 117 and 118:
adding up to some 800 Yuan.” “I
Page 119 and 120:
Militaristic Management System Mana
Page 121 and 122:
often remind assembly-line workers
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and urge us to speed up.” Line le
Page 125 and 126:
By December 2009, “unions had bee
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management. Since learning of this
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Chapter 6 Students Interns or Worke
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and school teachers. In this way, F
Page 133 and 134:
was a young man with whom she did n
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We’re depressed. We’ve paid for
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students regardless of field of stu
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province were made to work at Foxco
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Table 6.1 Government Recruitment As
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government support to expand its in
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4. The Public Security Department c
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One year later, in October 2013, mo
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electronics companies 563 ), in the
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ought up. Yang cultivated a strong,
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A Foxconn dorm room houses six to 1
Page 155 and 156:
Yu’s roommates all came from othe
Page 157 and 158:
Chen Ximei 575 lives in the Foxconn
Page 159 and 160:
For a two-room unit, the monthly re
Page 161 and 162:
Street hawkers at the West Gate of
Page 163 and 164:
percent in 1990 to 30 percent in 20
Page 165 and 166:
Chapter 8 Legal Activisms: Taking F
Page 167 and 168:
assignment; otherwise Foxconn shoul
Page 169 and 170:
observed that labor dispute arbitra
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especially in cases where outcomes
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at all levels have directed workers
Page 175 and 176:
Foxconn abandons its employees, it
Page 177 and 178:
for specialized diagnosis. He under
Page 179 and 180:
In an October 2012 company statemen
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stated a 2008 Foxconn company repor
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worked at the site for two years, w
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collective actions in the street, t
Page 187 and 188:
Justifying the use of paramilitary
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control and, often, 12-hour shifts
Page 191 and 192:
Group Fighting and Work Stoppage In
Page 193 and 194:
competition and will likely cause t
Page 195 and 196:
finally talked the protesting worke
Page 197 and 198:
thus far been directed exclusively
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early 2000s 658 and Walmart retail
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failed workers time and again. The
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Chapter 10 Conclusion Few in China
Page 205 and 206:
development of the western part of
Page 207 and 208:
workers at Foxconn, not unlike thei
Page 209 and 210:
Corporate Social Responsibility in
Page 211 and 212:
to monitor compliance at Foxconn.
Page 213 and 214:
A number of the most impressive cas
Page 215 and 216:
market competition and rising costs
Page 217 and 218:
Appendix 1 Suicides at Foxconn in C
Page 219 and 220:
4. Cui Hong M, 1987, Hunan 5. Zhang
Page 221 and 222:
42. Chen Ximei F, 1992, Guizhou 43.
Page 223 and 224:
29. Liu Shihan F, 1993, Sichuan 30.
Page 225 and 226:
2. Manager Chen M, 24 3. Manager Zh
Page 227 and 228:
Appendix 3 Foxconn Locations around
Page 229 and 230:
Select Bibliography (Books, journal
Page 231 and 232:
Baldoz, Rick, Charles Koeber and Ph
Page 233 and 234:
Chan, Anita. 2009. “Challenges an
Page 235 and 236:
Chan, Ming K. et al., eds. 陳明
Page 237 and 238:
Diamant, Neil J., Stanley B. Lubman
Page 239 and 240:
Gaetano, Arianne M. and Tamara Jack
Page 241 and 242:
Harvey, David. 2010. The Enigma of
Page 243 and 244:
Hurst, William. 2004. “Understand
Page 245 and 246:
Lee, Ching Kwan. 1998. “The Labou
Page 247 and 248:
Locke, Richard M. 2013. The Promise
Page 249 and 250:
National Bureau of Statistics of th
Page 251 and 252:
Pun, Ngai, Chris King-Chi Chan and
Page 253 and 254:
Seidman, Gay W. 1994. Manufacturing
Page 255 and 256:
Solinger, Dorothy J. 2009. States
Page 257 and 258:
Tong, Yanqi and Shaohua Lei. 2014.
Page 259 and 260:
Wilson, Jeanne L. 1990. “‘The P
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