Kaxton Siu
Biographic Data
| ID | 3793464 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kaxton Siu |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kaxton |
| FAMILY NAME | Siu |
| SIGNATURE | SIU K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Hong Kong Baptist University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6348-9320 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 64 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 17 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Extended case across time and borders
We develop a reflexive, comparative global ethnography of labor and migration in Asia by operationalizing Burawoy’s extended case method across its forces–connections–imaginations triad. Connecting labor- and migration-regime studies, we couple shopfloor politics with cross-border governance to explain domination and stalled mobility. We draw on long-term ethnography in Shenzhen and Ho Chi Minh City alongside analysis of Vietnam–China–Japan corri…
Global Hong Kong
Review of: Global Hong Kong: Post-2019 Migration and the New Hong Kong Diaspora , Yuk Wah Chan and Yvette to (eds) (2025) Abingdon: Routledge, 212 pp., ISBN 978-1-03289-689-2, h/bk, GBP 155 ISBN 978-1-00354-415-9, e-book, GBP 39
Hong Kong as a Crown Jewel of the British Empire
Global Capitalism and Labour in the Age of Monopoly
Hong Kong Society
The end of the village
Temporary labor migration and skill transfer in Japan
We interviewed Vietnamese and Chinese technical intern trainees who went to Japan under Japan's Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). We showed how Vietnam's and China's temporary labor‐export institutional arrangements differed, and contributed to the two countries’ intern trainees having varied migration experiences and outcomes. We also explored the reasons TITP failed to achieve its stated objective—international skill transfer. Guided by…
Hong Kong's Precarious Young Workers and Contradictions of Capital
Mechanisms to control Hong Kong's young workers are embedded in inadequate labour protections within the government's social welfare system and in prevalent informalization workplace practices. This article maintains that these control mechanisms have their origins in Hong Kong's colonial era. Following Harvey, we argue that these control mechanisms are expressions of contradictions of capital in production and reproduction spheres. We identify t…
Chinese Migrant Workers and Employer Domination
Work and Family Life among Migrant Factory Workers in China and Vietnam
Through on-site interviewing, a comparative study has been carried out about migrant factory workers in industrialised parts of China?s Guangdong province and in Vietnam?s Ho Chi Minh City. Even though China and Vietnam possess similar legacies of socialist transformation and have household registration regulations that restrict rural migrants? access to urban social services and impede their settlement in cities, there exist marked differences i…
Chinese migrant factory workers across four decades
Today about 90 million urban Chinese factory workers are migrant workers from the countryside, comprising the largest and most rapidly expanded industrial working class in history. Before the mid-2000s, these workers from the countryside were employed only temporarily in factories, and almost all were young, very poorly paid and exploited. But as labor shortages have developed and as restrictions against residing in China’s cities have relaxed, t…
Labor and Domination
China's export-led manufacturing model has been built on extensive exploitation of its migrant workforce under a despotic labor regime, but the methods of control have shifted considerably during the past decade and a half. This article examines new modes of domination over Chinese factory workers, based on fieldwork conducted while the author was living with workers at a foreign-invested garment factory in southern China. The article shows how m…
Exploring the Sacred-Secular Dialect in Everyday Social Work Practice
We examine the recent proliferation of religious discourses among front line social workers in the former British Colony of Hong Kong in order to explore the nature of 're-enchantment' in modern social work practice. In-depth qualitative interviews with twenty social workers who identify as 'Christian social workers' in a variety of social work organisations (both religious and secular) reveal the adoption of religious identities and discourses t…
Continuity and Change in the Everyday Lives of Chinese Migrant Factory Workers
How have Chinese migrant workers’ patterns of everyday life changed over the past two decades, and what has not changed? Have their personal and career aspirations shifted over time? What changes have occurred in how they maintain social relationships within and across factories? What are the implications for migrant workers, local governance and factory managements? Based on workers’ letters and ethnographic research in Shenzhen, this article ar…
Strike Wave in Vietnam, 2006-2011
Vietnam has witnessed more strikes than any other Asian country in the past decade, despite its vibrant economy. However, this regular industrial action has not deterred foreign investors from setting up manufacturing facilities in the country, as wages are about half those of China. Beneath the wildcat strike culture lies a deterioration in living standards to the extent that some Vietnamese workers have to conserve energy due to inadequate food…
The ‘Post-80s Generation,’ ‘Young Night Drifters,’ and the construction of a generic youth subject in Hong Kong
This article examines shifting representations of youth in post-handover Hong Kong in order to develop a framework for understanding the process by which some youngsters become hidden or marginal in the public consciousness while others remain highly visible. We compare two youth labels that have captured the public's imagination over a 14-year period: the Post-80s Generation and Young Night Drifters (YNDS, also known as nonengaged youth). The mo…
Youth Studies and Timescapes
This article draws on insights from the sociology of time to examine how scheduling influences social interaction and identity among young people and those who work with them. Drawing on an ethnographic analysis of 'Young Night Drifters' and youth outreach social workers in Hong Kong's public housing estates, we create a framework to understand youth in the context of time scheduling. Certain time schedules provide opportunities for young people …
Strike Wave in Vietnam, 2006-2011
Vietnam has witnessed more strikes than any other Asian country in the past decade, despite its vibrant economy. However, this regular industrial action has not deterred foreign investors from setting up manufacturing facilities in the country, as wages are about half those of China. Beneath the wildcat strike culture lies a deterioration in living standards to the extent that some Vietnamese workers have to conserve energy due to inadequate food…
Work and Family Life among Migrant Factory Workers in China and Vietnam
Through on-site interviewing, a comparative study has been carried out about migrant factory workers in industrialised parts of China?s Guangdong province and in Vietnam?s Ho Chi Minh City. Even though China and Vietnam possess similar legacies of socialist transformation and have household registration regulations that restrict rural migrants? access to urban social services and impede their settlement in cities, there exist marked differences i…
Labor and Domination
China's export-led manufacturing model has been built on extensive exploitation of its migrant workforce under a despotic labor regime, but the methods of control have shifted considerably during the past decade and a half. This article examines new modes of domination over Chinese factory workers, based on fieldwork conducted while the author was living with workers at a foreign-invested garment factory in southern China. The article shows how m…
Continuity and Change in the Everyday Lives of Chinese Migrant Factory Workers
How have Chinese migrant workers’ patterns of everyday life changed over the past two decades, and what has not changed? Have their personal and career aspirations shifted over time? What changes have occurred in how they maintain social relationships within and across factories? What are the implications for migrant workers, local governance and factory managements? Based on workers’ letters and ethnographic research in Shenzhen, this article ar…
The ‘Post-80s Generation,’ ‘Young Night Drifters,’ and the construction of a generic youth subject in Hong Kong
This article examines shifting representations of youth in post-handover Hong Kong in order to develop a framework for understanding the process by which some youngsters become hidden or marginal in the public consciousness while others remain highly visible. We compare two youth labels that have captured the public's imagination over a 14-year period: the Post-80s Generation and Young Night Drifters (YNDS, also known as nonengaged youth). The mo…
Hong Kong's Precarious Young Workers and Contradictions of Capital
Mechanisms to control Hong Kong's young workers are embedded in inadequate labour protections within the government's social welfare system and in prevalent informalization workplace practices. This article maintains that these control mechanisms have their origins in Hong Kong's colonial era. Following Harvey, we argue that these control mechanisms are expressions of contradictions of capital in production and reproduction spheres. We identify t…
Chinese migrant factory workers across four decades
Today about 90 million urban Chinese factory workers are migrant workers from the countryside, comprising the largest and most rapidly expanded industrial working class in history. Before the mid-2000s, these workers from the countryside were employed only temporarily in factories, and almost all were young, very poorly paid and exploited. But as labor shortages have developed and as restrictions against residing in China’s cities have relaxed, t…
Youth Studies and Timescapes
This article draws on insights from the sociology of time to examine how scheduling influences social interaction and identity among young people and those who work with them. Drawing on an ethnographic analysis of 'Young Night Drifters' and youth outreach social workers in Hong Kong's public housing estates, we create a framework to understand youth in the context of time scheduling. Certain time schedules provide opportunities for young people …
Temporary labor migration and skill transfer in Japan
We interviewed Vietnamese and Chinese technical intern trainees who went to Japan under Japan's Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). We showed how Vietnam's and China's temporary labor‐export institutional arrangements differed, and contributed to the two countries’ intern trainees having varied migration experiences and outcomes. We also explored the reasons TITP failed to achieve its stated objective—international skill transfer. Guided by…
Exploring the Sacred-Secular Dialect in Everyday Social Work Practice
We examine the recent proliferation of religious discourses among front line social workers in the former British Colony of Hong Kong in order to explore the nature of 're-enchantment' in modern social work practice. In-depth qualitative interviews with twenty social workers who identify as 'Christian social workers' in a variety of social work organisations (both religious and secular) reveal the adoption of religious identities and discourses t…
Youth Studies and Timescapes
This article draws on insights from the sociology of time to examine how scheduling influences social interaction and identity among young people and those who work with them. Drawing on an ethnographic analysis of 'Young Night Drifters' and youth outreach social workers in Hong Kong's public housing estates, we create a framework to understand youth in the context of time scheduling. Certain time schedules provide opportunities for young people …
The ‘Post-80s Generation,’ ‘Young Night Drifters,’ and the construction of a generic youth subject in Hong Kong
This article examines shifting representations of youth in post-handover Hong Kong in order to develop a framework for understanding the process by which some youngsters become hidden or marginal in the public consciousness while others remain highly visible. We compare two youth labels that have captured the public's imagination over a 14-year period: the Post-80s Generation and Young Night Drifters (YNDS, also known as nonengaged youth). The mo…
Continuity and Change in the Everyday Lives of Chinese Migrant Factory Workers
How have Chinese migrant workers’ patterns of everyday life changed over the past two decades, and what has not changed? Have their personal and career aspirations shifted over time? What changes have occurred in how they maintain social relationships within and across factories? What are the implications for migrant workers, local governance and factory managements? Based on workers’ letters and ethnographic research in Shenzhen, this article ar…
Strike Wave in Vietnam, 2006-2011
Vietnam has witnessed more strikes than any other Asian country in the past decade, despite its vibrant economy. However, this regular industrial action has not deterred foreign investors from setting up manufacturing facilities in the country, as wages are about half those of China. Beneath the wildcat strike culture lies a deterioration in living standards to the extent that some Vietnamese workers have to conserve energy due to inadequate food…
Exploring the Sacred-Secular Dialect in Everyday Social Work Practice
We examine the recent proliferation of religious discourses among front line social workers in the former British Colony of Hong Kong in order to explore the nature of 're-enchantment' in modern social work practice. In-depth qualitative interviews with twenty social workers who identify as 'Christian social workers' in a variety of social work organisations (both religious and secular) reveal the adoption of religious identities and discourses t…
Labor and Domination
China's export-led manufacturing model has been built on extensive exploitation of its migrant workforce under a despotic labor regime, but the methods of control have shifted considerably during the past decade and a half. This article examines new modes of domination over Chinese factory workers, based on fieldwork conducted while the author was living with workers at a foreign-invested garment factory in southern China. The article shows how m…
Chinese migrant factory workers across four decades
Today about 90 million urban Chinese factory workers are migrant workers from the countryside, comprising the largest and most rapidly expanded industrial working class in history. Before the mid-2000s, these workers from the countryside were employed only temporarily in factories, and almost all were young, very poorly paid and exploited. But as labor shortages have developed and as restrictions against residing in China’s cities have relaxed, t…
Chinese Migrant Workers and Employer Domination
Work and Family Life among Migrant Factory Workers in China and Vietnam
Through on-site interviewing, a comparative study has been carried out about migrant factory workers in industrialised parts of China?s Guangdong province and in Vietnam?s Ho Chi Minh City. Even though China and Vietnam possess similar legacies of socialist transformation and have household registration regulations that restrict rural migrants? access to urban social services and impede their settlement in cities, there exist marked differences i…
Hong Kong as a Crown Jewel of the British Empire
Global Capitalism and Labour in the Age of Monopoly
Hong Kong Society
The end of the village
Temporary labor migration and skill transfer in Japan
We interviewed Vietnamese and Chinese technical intern trainees who went to Japan under Japan's Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). We showed how Vietnam's and China's temporary labor‐export institutional arrangements differed, and contributed to the two countries’ intern trainees having varied migration experiences and outcomes. We also explored the reasons TITP failed to achieve its stated objective—international skill transfer. Guided by…
Hong Kong's Precarious Young Workers and Contradictions of Capital
Mechanisms to control Hong Kong's young workers are embedded in inadequate labour protections within the government's social welfare system and in prevalent informalization workplace practices. This article maintains that these control mechanisms have their origins in Hong Kong's colonial era. Following Harvey, we argue that these control mechanisms are expressions of contradictions of capital in production and reproduction spheres. We identify t…
Extended case across time and borders
We develop a reflexive, comparative global ethnography of labor and migration in Asia by operationalizing Burawoy’s extended case method across its forces–connections–imaginations triad. Connecting labor- and migration-regime studies, we couple shopfloor politics with cross-border governance to explain domination and stalled mobility. We draw on long-term ethnography in Shenzhen and Ho Chi Minh City alongside analysis of Vietnam–China–Japan corri…
Global Hong Kong
Review of: Global Hong Kong: Post-2019 Migration and the New Hong Kong Diaspora , Yuk Wah Chan and Yvette to (eds) (2025) Abingdon: Routledge, 212 pp., ISBN 978-1-03289-689-2, h/bk, GBP 155 ISBN 978-1-00354-415-9, e-book, GBP 39
Political science (13 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Economics (9 works) · China (8 works) · Economic growth (8 works) · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy (8 works) · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance (7 works) · Law (7 works) · Business (6 works) · Factory (object-oriented programming (4 works)