Routledge Market Cultures: Society and Morality in Asian Capitalisms

Market Cultures explores the remarkable growth of capitalist enterprise among overseas Chinese and Southeast Asian communities, moving beyond formal economic models to examine how local institutions and cultural values shape business practices and moral frameworks. This Routledge publication investigates the lived experiences of entrepreneurs and merchants across the region, revealing how traditional societies and modern market systems interact and transform one another. Rather than treating capitalism as a abstract force, the book grounds its analysis in the actual institutions, relationships and meanings that people create within their economic lives. Ideal for students and scholars of anthropology, sociology and Asian studies seeking to understand the cultural dimensions of economic development.