Abstract
This paper aims to reveal the culture of laborers in construction laborers' camps known as Hamba. Culture is defined here as being created through human subjective actions. It focuses on subjective meanings which Hamba laborers gives to their labor, and reveals a behavior pattern of them at worksite, which I call “the labor culture in Hamba” here. It also reveals how the culture emerges against outside of the group of laborers. A behavior pattern of Hamba laborers is oriented by “an aspiration to capability”. They find their meaning of labor in being skillful at their works. They have to show their skill at work and capability with real actions. Their aspiration to capability is emerged as a generous help for newcomers, and it plays a role to maintain their group. With the help of veteran laborers, newcomers learn knowledge of Hamba labor. This knowledge is a hint to adapt them to Hamba labor and at the same time it reflects their sense of value in the labor. An aspiration to capability raises their motivation but it makes them act arbitrarily without consultation in some situations. On the one hand Hamba laborers work for the benefit of their employer, but at the same time they work for their satisfactions, so we can find a conflict between laborers and employers. While the labor culture in Hamba encourages cohesion of laborers and makes conflicts between laborers and employers, it raises a conflict within the group of laborers.
