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UM E-Theses Collection (澳門大學電子學位論文庫)

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Title

An autonomous and unautonomous body : the making of Macau's female working class, 1957-1989

English Abstract

Previous scholarly works emphasize that the formation of the working class is a historical practice of the collective consciousness of being exploited and is a collective, organized and hostile political action towards the capitalists to change the unjust condition. With a brief description on the historical evolution of Macau‟s garment industry and unique social environment, my thesis offers a detailed historical depiction on how Macau‟s female workers collectively challenged the capitalists‟ power and the patriarchal society‟s structure. I argue that the challenge was not as fierce as for the purpose of overthrowing the capitalists and patriarchal society as Marxists mentioned, but was merely to fulfill the new social and familial expectation of all-around female‟s triple role: a worker, a mother, and a family‟s important economic contributor at the same time. Thus, Macau‟s female workers‟ unity should be considered as the class-in-itself in the Marxian context, and the making of class was based on their sense of autonomous body fostered by the capitalists‟ continued formal and informal concessions. Despite their good feelings, Macau‟s female workers were unconsciously restricted by the new social and familial expectation. Paradoxically, their sense of autonomous body was the base of class making, but their unautonomous triple role was the very basic motivation behind the 2 class making. It is very complex that they were with an autonomous and unautonomous body at the same time to pursue the formation of the female working class.

Issue date

2012.

Author

Chan, U Wai

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

Department

Department of History

Degree

M.A.

Subject

Women textile workers -- Macau -- History -- 20th century

Clothing trade -- Macau -- Employees -- History -- 20th century

Textile industry -- Macau -- History -- 20th century

Supervisor

Wei, C. X., George

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Location
1/F Zone C
Library URL
991001180509706306