From NIDL to Globalization: Studying Women Workers in an Increasingly Globalized Economy

Abstract

This article approaches the phenomenon of globalization from a long-term perspective and argues for analyzing globalization as a process, focusing on different actors within a global economy. Based on previous findings from Malaysia and some preliminary findings from the Shanghai region, China, it explores the motives and adaptations of foreign industries in Asia. The article also seeks to identify the interdependencies of local and global actors at the meeting grounds, or interface situations, of globalization. Analyzing the moves and motives of one company over time, the article examines whether access to women’s labor is integrated into company strategies within a global economy. The authors make a case for more localized analyses that acknowledge the particularities of women’s lives and work in view of globalization as a differential force.