Sisters and Strangers: Women in the Shanghai Cotton Mills

The rather succinct but thorough Emily Honig book Sisters and Strangers describes women working in Shanghai cotton factories. In her work, Honig examines a number of previously unresearched historical traits of Shanghai labor movements. Her book’s introduction chapter, which focuses in part on societal associations and institutions as evidence for a new democratic consciousness, introduces some of the other writing on labor during the Republican period. They were viewed at the time as a breeding ground for labor groups to increase in strength and size. In her argument, Honig reasons that the primary responsibilities of women laborers in the course can be considered to have been neglected. In the case of Shanghai, the neglect is evident as is demonstrated by the fact that women constituted a greater population of the labor force in Shanghai largest industry, the cotton mills. Honig focus on the group in the community is by revealing the complex progression through which women workers established the basis of a different class awareness. Honig states that the working class consciousness if it were to be explained and given any meaning, it should be able to cater for all the loyalties available (Honig 249). From this statement, it is clear that the brief story of Honig explains whom these women were fighting and the ways they had managed to develop their loyalties among themselves. Such information is a direct revelation of the consciousness which was associated with the collective commitments and the organizations, which was a reaction to the harsh original urban working environment.

Honig in her book has crafted her chapters to showcase how women were exploited. The chapters of the short book illustrates and presents the kind of live the women led both inside and outside of the mills. Also, Honing explains the complicated nature of the relationship between the women and the mill owners and managers. Women working the mill’s industry were from different regions and were separated based on their native attributes. The imperialism further complicated the segregation and division of women at the industry. Honig argues that imperialism contributed to the strengthening of resentment midst the mill labors (76). For instance, the Subei workers, were most probably to choose to work and revenue jobs offered in the Japanese-run mills, for they would get good treatment as compared to the kind of treatment offered at the Chinese mills. In Honig analysis of the situation, there is a third force that is the Green Gang. In her argument, Honig says that the perpetrator of the abduction rings and manual labor contracts associations the Green Gang. According to Honig, this was considered as the mark of protest since they were either domestic or foreign local industrialists (Honig 247).

In the final chapter of the book, the author presents a story about a violent demonstration that took place in one of the major mills in Shanghai in 1949. The women working at the mills cooperated and were supported by other women from other women laborers from other mills and other women under different occupations, for example, the dancehall workers. According to the author’s statement on page 245 of the book, where she says that, and a transcendence of the parochialism that had in the past already inhibited women’s movements, is a clear representation of how women took charge of the event. The women had at first established quasi-traditional organizations similar to sisterhoods that helped in offering protection. However, during the late 1940s, there was a significant change that was experienced as is evident through Honig argument. The change of the end of the 1940s aided the small, native-place based organizations to evolve in further politically mindful groups. From this particular incidence, the author argues that the by them formulated vision and training that was offered by the newly established institutions such as the YWCA. In Honig’s arguments, the YWCA was focused on providing women with education by providing night school and holding several unities building social events (Honig 223). Simultaneously the CPP introduced recent efforts to labor in the traditional women’s organizational and spreading of the party’s revelation (Honig 229).

After reading through Honig’s brief story, it is evident that the author has correctly presented her arguments in a clear and concise manner. The chapters of the book have been built and structured in a logical format from the other and hypothesis imageries of females’ functioning environments that have not yet been examined through extensive analysis. After carefully considering Honig arguments the only issue that could be raised from the logical presentation of the chapters. Honig closing chapter appears not to do complete justice to the presented logical possibilities of the book. However, the author makes use of a diverse source of material such as newspapers and surveys that were conducted with the former workers from Shanghai. Such information was useful in backing up of the author’s main arguments of the book. Honig is successful in crafting of the study through her arguments by presenting some of the women’s actions that had an excellent contribution within the Chinese modernity. Such information is of great importance by adding and contributing to the knowledge of the historical familiarities of the analyzed section of the China population.

Apparently, there is a more rational point that the author presents relating to the use of the logical apparatus of the social history of the history of the Chinese manual workers. The efficiency of this particular approach is dependent on the extent of a considerable body of predictable economic accounts of the kind of environment surrounding the working class that provides a unique and necessary reference point. The author appears to be acutely aware of such a situation through her arguments since she addresses the problem in the last chapter. Even though, from Honig’s narrative, there are some elements of stasis, which is evident in the discussion of the 1930s and the responsibility of the Green Gang. The general presentation and production of the arguments are recommendable even though there are some noticeable typographical errors within the study.

The working conditions in the new urban centers were becoming harsh; the women formed foundations and movements so that they could fight for each other. They developed loyalties towards each other and pledged to the sisterhood. Honig describes the life of the women as terrible; she examines the life of the women in and out of the mills that they were working for (Honig, 1992).

In conclusion, Emily Honig narrative is a piece of work that is important in the presentation of the analytical methodology of the social history of the Chinese labor undertaking. A thorough cross examination of the story and the arguments within, it presents a new perspective on the information of the Shanghai manual workers.

Work cited

Honig, Emily. Sisters and Strangers: Women in the Shanghai cotton mills, 1919-1949. Stanford University Press, 1992.