The Bottom Worker in East Asia: Composition and Transformation under Neoliberal Globalization

The protagonist of The Bottom Worker in East Asia: Composition and Transformation under Neoliberal Globalization is a bottom worker, who has suffered from the downward pressure of hierarchy and has been re-stratified among themselves. The book examines workers' entrapment at the bottom, getting off the bottom, and intersecting each other by analyzing how they work, reside in, and build lifeworlds in cities and suburbs of four East Asian countries.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 318 pages
Publication date: 09 July 2024
Publisher: Haymarket Books

The protagonist of "The Bottom Worker in East Asia: Composition and Transformation under Neoliberal Globalization" is a bottom worker, a term used to describe individuals who are employed irregularly or are self-employed and experiencing homelessness in the North and South. These workers have been affected by the downward pressure of hierarchy under neoliberal globalization, leading to a re-stratification among themselves. The existing division between employed and self-employed individuals has become increasingly fluid as disparities in working conditions and wages are compressed downward. The book aims to examine the entrapment of workers at the bottom, their efforts to get off the bottom, and the intersecting lives of these individuals in cities and suburbs across four East Asian countries. By analyzing how these workers work, reside, and build their lifeworlds, the book seeks to provide a dynamic picture of the contemporary working class. The contributors to the book include Tatsuto Asakawa, Ilju Kim, Jah-Hon Koo, Ashita Matsumiya, Yuko Matsusono, Shinji Sakamoto, Keishiro Tsutsumi, Keiko Yamaguchi, and Tsubasa Yuki.

Dimension: 228 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9798888902455