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Nellie Chu

Associate Professor of Anthropology at Duke Kunshan University
DKU Faculty

Scholarly Works - Artistic compositions


The Uncertain Rhythms of Life for China's Migrant "Bosses"

Artistic composition · August 2022 GUANGZHOU, China — As I walked through the narrow alleyways of the garment district here in China’s third-largest city one afternoon, I saw a woman I’ll call Wong Yip sitting beside a large worktable by the tall front gates of her factory. In 2012, Wong Yi ... Link to item Cite

Engendering Laoban: The Masculinisation of Bosshood and Uncertainty in Transnational Guangzhou, China

Artistic composition · May 7, 2022 n southern China, small-scale factory owners have forged cross-cultural collaborations with transnational brokers, suitcase traders and subcontracted agents, to create the cross-border partnerships that comprise the transnational supply chains on a global ... Link to item Cite

Global Supply Chains of Risk and Desire: Migrant Youths and the Fast Fashion Exchange in Guangzhou, China

Artistic composition · May 13, 2019 In the mega-metropolis of Guangzhou in southern China, millions of migrant youths arrive in the city’s wholesale market for “fast fashion”—to try their luck at becoming bosses of their own labor. Ultimately, however, their participation in the fast-paced m ... Link to item Cite