A gendered labour geography perspective on the Cambodian garment workers’ general strike of 2013/2014

Abstract

This article argues for a gendered labour geography perspective on the Cambodian garment workers’ general strike of 2013/2014 to reveal the contradictory nature of the strike and the general contradictory existence of labour and labour agency in the country. On the local scale, labour is embodied by mostly women workers who used their everyday places and spaces of (re)production for their labour (re)actions, transcending spatial boundaries while building on their structural and collective power from below. Beyond that local scale, labour is primarily represented by formal labour networks and organizations such as trade unions, which are mostly dominated by men and caught up in political power struggles from above. Drawing on qualitative research in Cambodia, the article shows how important it is to follow a women workers’ perspective from below to unveil the emancipatory potential of women workers who fight for much more than just an official minimum wage increase.

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