One of the apparent anachronisms of late-twentieth-century capitalism is
the dispersal of industry into villages and towns in predominantly rural
regions. Rural industrialization appears almost oxymoronic. Yet some of
the most spectacular instances of industrial accumulation in recent decades—including
the Third Italy, significant parts of the “Taiwanese miracle,”
and much of the stunningly rapid growth in China since the
mid-1980s—all exemplify rural industrialization.1 So too do a number of
less glamorous manifestations of late capitalism, such as those in former
bantustan areas of South Africa discussed later in this article