From the pasar to the mamak stall

Refugees and migrants as surplus ghost labor in Malaysia's food service industry

Bibliographic Data

ID3655720
AuthorsParthiban Muniandy (0000-0001-8491-0682, Sarah Lawrence College, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume46
Issue11
Pages2293-2308
Publication date2020-08-17
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueNew Community (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-9586 • E-ISSN: 1469-9451
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/1369183x.2018.1529557
OpenAlexW2897488128
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited22

This paper examines how different groups of migrant workers and communities become absorbed into the informal and formal economies of the developing South. Due to the unique historical context of labour migration in Malaysia, this study suggests that questions about migrant and refugee integration need to be recast in an inter-connected manner. Here, the experiences of refugees, documented and undocumented migrant workers are examined through the lens of job sector integration, rather than through specific group-focused analyses. How do such diverse migrant communities become coerced into participating as part of an invisible labour force, and what are the implications on the everyday lives of these refugees, undocumented migrants, foreign workers and other subaltern groups? Drawing upon a broader on-going ethnographic study of temporary migrant life in Malaysia, I focus on the food service sector in Kuala Lumpur and Georgetown (Penang), to highlight the importance of subaltern migrants in the everyday production of food and the challenges they face in trying to establish a foothold in their new society. The study encompasses the everyday lives of Rohingya refugees in informal markets and settlements in Kuala Lumpur, as well as Bangladeshi, Indian and Thai staff at restaurants and cafes

Business · Economic growth · Economics · Ethnography · Geography · Informal sector · Political science · Politics · Refugee · Sociology · Subaltern · Tertiary sector of the economy · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Gender Studies · Law · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Marketing

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