Castoffs of Capital: Work and Love among Garment Workers in Bangladesh

Castoffs of Capital is a book that explores the lives of older women garment workers in Bangladesh, shedding light on their experiences as workers, mothers, wives, and political agents. It highlights the ways in which these women navigate the stranglehold of global capital, adopting new subject formations to pursue their aspirations for the "good life" amidst material comforts and longings for love and sexual fulfillment.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 06 December 2022
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Dispelling Stereotypes About Garment Workers in the Global Apparel Industry

Castoffs of Capital, a groundbreaking work by anthropologist Lamia Karim, delves into the lives of female garment workers in the global apparel industry, challenging prevailing stereotypes and shedding light on a largely overlooked segment of the workforce. Through extensive fieldwork in Bangladesh, Karim focuses her attention on older women, who have traditionally been excluded from the narratives surrounding garment workers. By introducing this new dimension, Karim expands our understanding of the female-headed workforce, which currently numbers around four million in Bangladesh.

Through a feminist labor studies lens, Castoffs of Capital emphasizes the multifaceted roles of these women as workers, mothers, wives, sisters, lovers, friends, and political agents. Karim highlights how these women navigate the complex intersections of work, gender, and global capital, particularly targeting poor women to advance market penetration. By examining the ways in which women adopt new subject formations, Karim reveals how they navigate these spaces and seek to fulfill their aspirations for a "good life," encompassing both material comforts and deeper longings for love and sexual fulfillment.

This innovative and beautifully written book delves into the intricate details of these women's lives, exploring their wants, desires, loves, tribulations, hopes, and struggles. Through richly detailed ethnographic studies, Karim provides a profound understanding of the making and unmaking of these women's aspirations, highlighting their triumphs and struggles in the face of adversity. Castoffs of Capital offers a valuable contribution to our understanding of the global apparel industry and the lives of its workers, challenging us to reevaluate our assumptions and advocate for more equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517913359