Globalisation, Human Rights and Labour Law in Pacific Asia

This pathbreaking book is the first substantive contribution to a sociology of human rights and takes up the question of whether so-called Asian values are compatible with human rights discourse. Using a sociological and poststructuralist approach to the concept of rights, and incorporating transnationality into sociological theory, Anthony Woodiwiss demonstrates how the global human rights regime can accommodate Asian patriarchialism, while Pacific Asia is itself adapting by means of what he calls "enforceable benevolence."

"In excellent case studies of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, the author treats postcolonial paternalistic labor policies as a healthy form of `enforceable benevolence.' His study will contribute to greater appreciation of Asian values for a select audience of academics." Choice

"...a particularly compelling illustration of the hybrid origins and diverse multiplicity of contemporary Asian modernities." Pacific Affairs

"The major strength of Woodiwiss's Globalisation, Human Rights and Labour Law in Pacific Asia is his sociologically informed analysis of labor law regimes in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore." Braham Dabscheck, Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal