300624 Made in China: work and globalisation (30-M25 Transnationalisierung und Migration) (S) (WiSe 2026/2027)

The label “Made in China” appears worldwide on products from clothing to smartphones, but also represents images, values, and ideas that circulate globally, from digital algorithms to public policy. What does this mean for the people in its country of origin, who sustain a significant part of the global production system as the “factory of the world” diversifies? In this seminar, we trace supply chains of Chinese globalization back to the lived experiences and everyday realities on the ground. We begin by analyzing the globalization of labor from historical Maoism to contemporary markets, and recent shifts to digitalization, asking how global capital flows and technologies are transforming ideas of work, progress, and nation in China and beyond. We will consider local workplaces and transnational companies within the People’s Republic, as well as Chinese development and infrastructure projects abroad, from textile factories to digital platforms, and from the Belt and Road Initiative to TikTok.