Social Change in South East Asia

Description
Provides a comprehensive and in-depth examination of the ongoing process of development and societal transformation in a dynamic region of the Third World. Written by a team of specialists from the fields of development studies, sociology and political economy, the book looks at some of the fundamental problems facing South East Asia by addressing the following issues: the social constellations; class, culture and political legitimation; and industrialisation and labour regulation.

Contents
Introduction: Changing Realities of Social Transition in Southeast Asia.PART 1: THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DYNAMICS OF SOCIAL CONFLICT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 1. The Impact of US Strategy: Making Southeast Asia Safe for Capitalism 2. The Custodian State and Social Change - Creating Growth Without Welfare 3. The Emergence of the Middle Classes in Southeast Asia and the Indonesian Case PART 2: CLASSES, CULTURE AND POLITICAL LEGITIMATION 4. Class, Culture and Malaysian Modernity 5. The Legitimacy of the Public Sphere and Culture of the New Urban Middle Class in the Philippines 6. Ethnicity, Class and Human Resource Management in Singapore PART 3: INDUSTRIALISATION AND LABOUR REGULATION 7. The Wage Labour Nexus in Malaysia's Industrial Development 8. The Labour marketing Vietnam: Between State Incorporation and Autonomy 9. Inconsistencies and Enquities in Thai Industralisation 10. Conclusion: Societal Forces and Class Constellations Behind Southeast Asian Capitalism

Features

• Examines contemporary debates concerning segmentation and class polarization in the "Newly Industrialising Countries (NICs)" of South East Asia.
• Proposes a variety of approaches to social change and inequality by exploring linkages between the international level, the nation-state and societal forces.
• Compares and interprets the changing political culture and economic affluence of the middle class by looking Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
• Focuses on changes in labour market relations from a regulation perspective and state versus trade union approach, eg. in Malaysia and Vietnam.
• Offers a discussion of social welfare, inequalities and the rural question in Thailand as well as in other ASEAN-countries.
• Ideal text for undergraduate and postgraduate students in a range of disciplines, including geography, sociology, political science, development studies and economics.