Essay
September 1, 2026
On the Upstream Podcast: Dialectics of Chinese Labor
Immanuel Ness joins the Upstream podcast to discuss trade unions under market socialism, and why the ACFTU resists being read through a Western lens.
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Studies in Political Economy of Global Labor and Work · Volume 9
Dialectics of
Chinese Labor
by Immanuel Ness
A Marxist sociology of state owned enterprises (SOEs), trade unions, and workers in China's gig and platform economy — from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping. This book challenges the myth of the "passive worker" and argues that, against the grain, the labour movement is working.
Open Access
This book is free to read. Forever.
Published open access so that as many people as possible can read it — not just those who can afford it. Read the full book online at no cost.
About the Book
"China has more workers organized, proportionally, than anywhere in the world."
Immanuel Ness offers an on-the-ground look at how trade unions and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions function within a transitional socialist economy shaped by the Communist Party of China. Drawing on interviews across China in 2024–2025 — from state owned enterprises (SOEs) and industry to food delivery workers and ride-hailing in the gig economy — he documents union growth among migrant and platform workers under Mao Zedong's legacy and Xi Jinping's modernization.
Read the FAQ →More about the author →What is Dialectics of Chinese Labor?
Dialectics of Chinese Labor is an open-access book by Immanuel Ness, published by Brill in 2026. The 243-page study — subtitled Trade Unions under Market Socialism — examines state owned enterprises (SOEs), trade unions, the gig and platform economy, Marxism, and transitional socialism in China from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, based on interviews across China in 2024–2025.
labourdialectics.org (also known as labourdialectics) is the official website for Immanuel Ness and Dialectics of Chinese Labor — not a consulting firm or government department. Contact the author at press@immanuelness.com or via the contact page. , buy a print copy, or see the FAQ on Chinese labor, SOEs, and trade unions.
Key topics in Chinese labor research
Concise answers on state owned enterprises (SOEs), the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the gig economy, and transitional socialism — drawn from Dialectics of Chinese Labor by Immanuel Ness.
- What are state owned enterprises (SOEs) in China?
- State owned enterprises (SOEs) are firms owned or controlled by the Chinese state and remain central to industry, modernization, and labour-management under the Communist Party of China. In Dialectics of Chinese Labor, Immanuel Ness shows how SOE workplaces, union affiliation, and class formation interact with market socialism from Mao Zedong's legacy to Xi Jinping. Read more →
- What is the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)?
- The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is China's official trade union federation and the world's largest union body, led by the Communist Party of China. Immanuel Ness examines how ACFTU affiliation, workplace representation, and labour unions shape SOE, migrant, and platform workers under transitional socialism. Read more →
- How does the gig economy affect workers in China?
- China's gig and platform economy — food delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers, and other platform labour — has grown with urbanization and technology. Dialectics of Chinese Labor documents how these workers organize, seek union affiliation through the ACFTU, and navigate labour-management beyond traditional state owned enterprises. Read more →
- What is transitional socialism or market socialism in China?
- Transitional socialism describes China's path from Mao Zedong's revolutionary communism toward market socialism under modernization and global inequality. Drawing on Marxism and Vladimir Lenin's reserve army of labor, Immanuel Ness asks whether this transition strengthens workers, trade unions, and class power across industry and the rural sector. Read more →
- Who wrote Dialectics of Chinese Labor?
- Dialectics of Chinese Labor: Trade Unions under Market Socialism is a 2026 open-access book by Immanuel Ness, Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg, published by Brill. labourdialectics.org is the official site for the book, author biography, essays on Chinese labor, and contact. Read more →
- Where can I read about Chinese labor unions and the working class?
- labourdialectics.org publishes Immanuel Ness's open-access research on the Chinese working class, labour unions, Marxism, and communism — covering SOEs, the ACFTU, the gig economy, migration, and politics from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping. Read the free 243-page book, FAQ, and blog essays on Chinese workers. Read more →
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