Workshop: The Production and Reproduction of Social Inequalities

2024-08-21 - 2024-09-30

HC201, HA Building 3, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) & Hybrid event.

Date: September 20-21, 2024 (GMT+8, Taipei Time)

Venue：HC201, HA Building 3, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) & Hybrid event.

Language: English

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/M4iEY7g1LkwsuKZDA

Registration Deadline: September 13

Organizer：

• International Center for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University.　
• Social Inequalities Research Unit (SIRU), University of Cologne.
• Africa-China Research Network, Academia Sinica.

Abstract

Over the past decade, research on social inequalities has witnessed significant growth, shedding light on the enduring and expanding nature of global inequality. This research has increasingly become interdisciplinary, encompassing diverse fields like sociology, health, and environmental studies, while also adopting an intersectional perspective. While traditional approaches centered on income or education, contemporary studies delve into understanding how elements such as gender, race, ethnicity, and geographical location play pivotal roles in shaping the uneven allocation of resources and opportunities.

In East Asia, a series of “economic miracles” have occurred since the Second World War, starting with Japan, followed by the “Four Asian Tigers,” and culminating with the People’s Republic of China. These economic success stories have contributed to a statistical reduction in global inequality. Similarly, South and Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines have experienced similar patterns of rapid economic growth; and in Africa, countries such as Ethiopia have attempted to join the next wave by adopting ostensibly similar policies.

However, this process of economic development has not been without its challenges. In certain instances, the pursuit of economic progress has led to the creation of peripheries characterized by racialized and gendered migrant labor, as well as the marginalization of indigenous communities, whose labor and land have been exploited to support the growth of industries. This has resulted in the displacement of populations and exacerbated unequal living conditions.

China has been widely recognized as the “factory of the world,” playing a significant role in global manufacturing and trade. Nevertheless, during times of uncertain transitions, other countries or regions in the global South may also emerge as potential centers of production. The generation of displaced populations and unequal living conditions can be attributed, in part, to state-led policies and the dynamics of global capitalism. Government policies may prioritize economic growth and attract foreign investments, often leading to the exploitation of cheap labor and natural resources. This pursuit of profit can exacerbate social disparities and displace vulnerable communities.

Furthermore, global hierarchies are a common feature of the political economy of global capitalism. As economic power concentrates in certain regions or countries, it tends to perpetuate existing inequalities and create new ones. These hierarchies can shift over time, but the overall structure of economic dominance and exploitation remains.

The workshop revolves around the visit of researchers from the University of Cologne’s “The Production and Reproduction of Social Inequalities” research unit to Taiwan. It seeks to understand why endeavors to enhance equality often lead to enduring disparities. The main objective is to promote dialogue between the Cologne researchers and Taiwan-based scholars and students working on inequality. This two-day event, hosted at the International Center for Cultural Studies at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, will primarily explore conceptual frameworks and methodologies for studying inequality. It will particularly focus on migrant labor, human trafficking, indigeneity, statelessness, and the role of the political economy of capitalism in shaping social inequalities in Asian countries and the global South during the 21st century. Additionally, the workshop will investigate potential projects related to alternative relationality and solidarities from below.

Workshop Agenda

Fri, Sept 20	Workshop Day 1
9:30 - 10:00	Welcoming Remarks and Official Group Photo Joyce C.H. Liu (Director, International Institute for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Michaela Pelican (Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology & Principal Investigator and Speaker of Research Unit, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne)
Historical and Political Crisis of Forced Labor
10:00 - 11:10	Panel 1: The International Labor Organization, Colonialism, and the History of "Forced Labor" Moderator: Tu Huynh (Principal Investigator, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne) Between Work Regulation, Integration into the Capitalist Economy and "African Laziness": The ILO and African Workers, 1919-1930 - Ulrike Lindner (Professor of Modern History & Principal Investigator, Department of History, University of Cologne) What is Wrong with Forced Labor: Coercion or Exploitation - Ya-Wen Yang (Assistant Research Professor, Institutum Iurisprudentiae, Academia Sinica)
11:10 - 11:20	Coffee Break
11:20 - 12:30	Panel 2: Pan-Asian Politics and Racialized Capitalist Relations Moderator: Joyce C.H. Liu (Director, International Institute for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Pan-Asian Alliances during the International Labor Conferences, 1920s-1940s - Fabiana Kutsche (Doctoral Researcher, Department of History, University of Cologne) Inequalities and Migrant Labor: Tracing Taiwan’s Racialized Capitalism - Samia Dinkelaker (Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore)
12:30 - 13:30	Lunch Break
13:30 - 14:40	Panel 3: Export Processing Zones and Labor Politics Moderator: Derek Sheridan (Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica) Challenging the Uneven Power Relation: The Case of Workers Union at Garment Industry in Ethiopia - Meron Zeleke (Associate Professor of Anthropology & Principal Investigator, Center of Human Rights, Addis Ababa University) Transformation and Exploitation: The Impact of Labor Policies in Mexico’s Maquiladora Industry - Hao-Yu Cho (Post-Doctoral Research, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica)
14:40 - 14:50	Coffee Break
Migration as Logistical Process
14:50 - 16:00	Panel 4: Transformations in Migration Governance and Forced Labor Moderator: Ulrike Lindner (Professor of Modern History & Principal Investigator, Department of History, University of Cologne) Migration Governance, Human Trafficking, and Gender Inequalities: Cameroon to the Arab Gulf states - Jonathan Ngeh (Senior Researcher, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne) & Michaela Pelican (Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology & Principal Investigator and Speaker of Research Unit, Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne) Modern Slavery Crisis and the Transformation of Private Governance: The Case of the Seafood Supply Chains in Taiwan - Yu-Fan Chiu (Associate Professor, School of Law, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University)
16:00 - 16:10	Coffee Break
16:10 - 17:20	Panel 5: Forced Labor and Supply Chains Moderator: Meron Zeleke (Associate Professor of Anthropology & Principal Investigator, Center of Human Rights, Addis Ababa University) Compound Capitalism, Samoan Supply Chains, and SEZs: Topological Logistics of Digitalized Labor Extraction in SEA - Joyce C.H. Liu (Director, International Institute for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Pay to Work: Recruitment Fees and the Exploitation of Indonesian Migrant Fishers in Taiwan’s Distant Water Fleets - Jonathan S. Parhusip (PhD student, Institute of Social Research and Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University)
Sat, Sept 21	Workshop Day 2
Governing Migration and Care
9:30 - 10:35	Panel 6: Beyond Labor: Governing and Challenging Migrant Categories Moderator: Fabiana Kutsche (Doctoral Researcher, Department of History, University of Cologne) Beyond Boundaries: Migration, Identity Transformation, and the Shifting Social Status of Chinese Laborers - Tu Huynh (Principal Investigator, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne) Navigating Reproductive Rights and Inequalities: Indonesian Migrant Mothers in Taiwan - Tzu-Chi Ou (Assistant Professor, International College of Innovation, National Chengchi University)
10:35 - 10:45	Coffee Break
10:45 - 11:50	Panel 7: Care, Migration, and Inequality Moderator: Yu-Fan Chiu (Associate Professor, School of Law, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Indigeneity, Migration, and Social Inequalities in Long-Term Care: An Inquiry into the Tayal Community in Taiwan — Wasiq Silan (I-An Gao) (Researcher at the Centre of Ethnic Relations and Nationalism, University of Helsinki) Informal Housing and the Future of Chinese Urban Villages: Observations from Shanghai - Qi Li (PhD student, Institute of Social Research and Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University)
11:50 - 13:00	Lunch Break
Ramifications of Uneven Development
13:00 - 14:05	Panel 8: Moral Geographies and the Reproduction of Inequality Moderator: Wasiq Silan (I-An Gao) (Researcher at the Centre of Ethnic Relations and Nationalism, University of Helsinki) Wet Market and Reproduction of Inequality - I-Yi Hsieh (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Going to Africa to Develop: Chinese Migrants and the Moral Geography of Uneven Development in Africa - Derek Sheridan (Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica)
14:05 - 14:25	Break
14:25 - 15:25	Closing Remarks and Discussion Derek Sheridan (Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica) Joyce C.H. Liu (Director, International Institute for Cultural Studies, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University) Tu Huynh (Principal Investigator, Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne)

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Sub-project | Migration, Unequal Citizens, and Critical Legal Studies & The Geopolitics and Cultural Economy of Societal Relations in a New Greater China

Principal Investigator | Prof. Joyce C.H. Liu（劉紀蕙）、Yu-Fan Chiu（邱羽凡）；Allen Chun（陳奕麟）

Organizors from ICCS | Prof. Joyce C.H. Liu（劉紀蕙）、Yu-Fan Chiu（邱羽凡）、Allen Chun（陳奕麟）

MOE Higher Education SPROUT Project: Sustained progress and rise of universities in Taiwan