Satanic Mills or Silicon Islands? challenges the myth of globalization's homogenizing power, arguing that the uniqueness of place is becoming more, not less important. Steven C. McKay documents how multinational firms secure worker control and consent by reaching beyond the high-tech factory and into local labor markets.

He also traces the rise of a new breed of privatized export processing zones, revealing the state's — in these cases, the Philippines — revamped role in the wider politics of global production. Finally, McKay gives voice to the women workers themselves, as they find meaning, identity, and agency on and beyond the "new" shop floor.