Thai-Western Mobilities and Migration: Intimacy within Cross-Border Connections

This book explores transnational social relationships and cross-border connections between 'ordinary people' in Thailand and 'the West' through the lens of mobilities and migrations. It emphasizes the need to consider the structural context and state restrictions that shape these relationships and experiences, highlighting gendered perspectives and the impact of globalisation processes on Thailand's economic development.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 156 pages
Publication date: 25 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The chapters in this volume delve into the intricate tapestry of transnational social relationships and cross-border connections forged by 'ordinary people' as a result of the growing phenomenon of large-scale mobilities and migrations between Thailand and 'the West'. While traditional approaches to studying Thai and Western social relationships often revolve around personal narratives within the framework of cross-border marriage migration, this book argues for a broader perspective that recognizes these connections as far more than mere marriage migrations.

While personal life stories of marriage migrants offer valuable insights, they can inadvertently overshadow the structural context that shapes socially embedded cross-border connections and exchanges, as well as the state restrictions that initially make migration a possibility and subsequently mold a migrant's post-migration life trajectory and experiences relative to others in their origin and settlement societies. To unravel the gendered experiences of transnational living, the chapters explore the lives of Thai women who marry and relocate with older Western men, Western men and women who choose to retire or pursue leisure in Thailand, and Thai rural families transformed by mobilities and migration.

It is crucial to understand the individual choices that shaped these lives within the broader context of the specific globalisation processes that have shaped Thailand through transnational links to other parts of the world over the past decades. Globalisation, driven by the influx of foreign capital, cultures, and people through mass tourism, plays a pivotal role in this explanatory backstory, as does the interplay between rural and urban cleavages that drive Thailand's economic development.

This book originally emerged as a special issue of the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, highlighting the significance of these transnational connections and their impact on individuals, communities, and societies. By expanding our understanding of the complexities of cross-border relationships, this volume contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolving dynamics of globalisation and its profound implications for our world.

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 174 x 246 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032037424