Invisible Hands: Voices from the Global Economy (Voice of Witness)

The men and women in __Invisible Hands__ reveal the human rights abuses occurring behind the scenes of the global economy. These narrators — including phone manufacturers in China, copper miners in Zambia, garment workers in Bangladesh, and farmers around the world — reveal the secret history of the things we buy, including lives and communities devastated by low wages, environmental degradation, and political repression. Sweeping in scope and rich in detail, these stories capture the interconnectivity of all people struggling to support themselves and their families. Narrators include Kalpona, a leading Bangladeshi labor organizer who led her first strike at 15; Han, who, as a teenager, began assembling circuit boards for an international electronics company based in Seoul; Albert, a copper miner in Zambia who, during a wage protest, was shot by representatives of the Chinese-owned mining company that he worked for; and Sanjay, who grew up in the shadow of the Bhopal chemical disaster, one of the worst industrial accidents in history. The garment industry: A struggle for fair wages Resource extraction: Buying and selling the Earth Electronics: Novel technologies, familiar problems Appendices. Foreword: Stories that demand change / Kalpona Akter Introduction: Meeting in the marketplace / Corinne Goria Executive editor's note / mimi lok Map of narrator locations in this book The garment industry: A struggle for fair wages Bangladesh, Former garment worker, labor organizer / Kalpona Akter Mexico, Garment worker / Ana Juárez Mexico, Labor organizer / Martín Barrios Agriculture: The Original global economy India, Former cotton farmer, day laborer, cook / Pournima Akolkar Uzbekistan, Seamstress / Nasiba Opa Guatemala, Farmer / Francisca Cocón United States, Vineyard worker, Amway salesman / Fausto Guzmán United States, High school student, tobacco field worker / Neftali Cuello Resource extraction: Buying and selling the Earth Zambia, Salesman, former miner / Albert Mwanaumo Papua New Guinea, Musician, filmmaker / Clive Porabou United States, Borax miner / Terri Judd Nigeria, Salesman, nurse / Bere Suanu Kingston India, Tutor, community advocate / Sanjay Verma Electronics: Novel technologies, familiar problems China, Former factory worker / Li Wen China, Factory worker / Sung Huang South Korea, Former factory worker / Hye-kyeong Han Appendices I. Timeline of industrial modernization II. Glossary III. Historical capsules IV. Wages in decline / The Center for American Progress and the Workers Rights Consortium.