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Responding to Globalization and the State: Negotiations and Contestations by the Middle Class in Malaysia

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Globalization and Social Transformation in the Asia-Pacific

Part of the book series: Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific Series ((CSAP))

Abstract

The discourse on globalization and its interactions with states and societies including the middle class, has undergone a marked shift in the last 20 years. This shift has occurred not only in the West but also in many developing countries especially those that have strong state systems. One major strand of thought was that globalization — unleashed by neoliberal or free market forces ‘charging like a juggernaut’ — holds states and societies captive so they became ‘losers’. This means that inequalities within and between states were entrenched. The ‘winners’ were owners of capital and their associates. Neoliberal globalization thus should be opposed or rejected, a school of thought that has been very much associated with the anti-globalizers, as well as those highly critical of globalization. However, of late, variations of this argument have emerged.

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© 2013 Abdul Rahman Embong

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Embong, A.R. (2013). Responding to Globalization and the State: Negotiations and Contestations by the Middle Class in Malaysia. In: Tazreiter, C., Tham, S.Y. (eds) Globalization and Social Transformation in the Asia-Pacific. Critical Studies of the Asia Pacific Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137298386_5

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