300633 Work, Economy, and Social Change in Southeast Asia (30-M25 Transnationalisierung und Migration) (S) (WiSe 2026/2027)

Course Description:

Work and economic pressures structure our everyday lives and relationships. But what counts as “work”? How are economic decisions shaped by global connections and inequalities? And how do these dynamics change in rapidly transforming societies?
This seminar explores these questions through the lens of economic anthropology, focusing on Southeast Asia, one of the world’s most dynamic regions for economic growth and social transformation. Over recent decades, industrialization, globalization, and development have reshaped livelihoods, mobility, and inequality across the region. Rather than treating the economy as a purely rational or abstract system, the course examines how economic practices are embedded in social relations, cultural values, and moral expectations.
Drawing on ethnographic case studies from countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, the seminar addresses topics including factory labor, gendered work, rural-urban migration, digitalization, and the environmental consequences of rapid development. Particular attention is paid to how people navigate uncertainty, negotiate value, and make sense of changing economic conditions in their everyday lives. Students will engage with key anthropological concepts such as value, precarity, and inequality while gaining a grounded introduction to Southeast Asia.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, students will:

• Gain a general understanding of Southeast Asia as a region and of the individual countries that are considered part of it;
• Be able to discuss contemporary issues related to work, economy, and social change in SEA through ethnographic examples and from an anthropological perspective;
• Make comparisons between different regional and national contexts;
• Critically reflect upon global interconnections and the links of everyday experiences to the economies and societies of SEA, beyond Eurocentric understandings of the world.
• Improve their reading, writing, and research skills by critically engaging class materials and locating additional relevant sources of information;
• Strengthen the ability to work with peers and teams and to debate sensitive topics in a respectful and reflexive manner.

Requirements for participation, required level

The course combines short lectures, close reading of ethnographic texts, interactive activities, and discussion-based sessions. No prior knowledge of Southeast Asia or anthropology is required. Students from all different backgrounds are welcome. Students are encouraged to question taken-for-granted assumptions, develop their own perspectives on the materials, and connect them to their everyday lives.

Bibliography

General Introductory Readings:

• Elias, Juanita, and Lena Rethel, eds. 2016. The Everyday Political Economy of Southeast Asia. 1st ed. Cambridge University Press.
• Adams, Kathleen, and Kathleen Gillogly, eds. 2011. Everyday Life in Southeast Asia. Indiana University Press.
• Hansen, Arve, Jo Inge Bekkevold, and Kristen Nordhaug, eds. 2020. The Socialist Market Economy in Asia: Development in China, Vietnam and Laos. Springer Singapore.
• Santasombat, Yos, ed. 2017. Chinese Capitalism in Southeast Asia: Cultures and Practices. Springer Singapore.
• Mao, Jingyu, Minh T. N. Nguyen, and Phill Wilcox. 2025. “Rural Futures in Late Socialist Asia: The Countryside in a Globalising World.” Journal of Political Sociology 2 (2).