集団化解体以降のカインハウ社における農業賃労働の実態に関する一考察(<特集>20世紀メコン・デルタの開拓)

Abstract

Khanh Hau commune was a typical rural community in the Mekong Delta which still mainifested clear social stratification by land holding when Hickey, an American anthropologist, did fieldwork in the late 1950s and early 1960s. But the social structure of Khanh Hau commune changed sharply in the ensuing 40 years due to a series of institutional agricultural reforms, agricultural collectivization, and the rapid growth of population. According to our questionnaire of 96 households in 1996, we found only small land holders and a large number of landless households existing because of the fractionization of land. Almost all households are engaged in farming and nonfarming wage labor. The greatest number are agricultural laborers, women engaged mainly in transplanting and harvest. Among the various types of informal wage labor available, agricultural labor is regarded as providing relatively stable income. Most laborers are managed by agents (trum) who live in Khanh Hau. Big agents, those who hire some 100 laborers, are prestigious because they provide stable work and payment in advance, which helps laborers guarantee their daily income.