School of Social and Political Sciences - Theses
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ItemMigrating masculinities, shifting subjectivities: the lives of western men in northeast Thailand( 2016)This dissertation examines the increasing migration of western men into Thailand, focusing on men in transnational intimate relationships in the northeastern region (Isan). Thailand is one of the global locations most marked by men’s migration from developed states, comprising retirees looking for places where a modest pension goes further as well as tourists who end up in transnational relationships. As the global economy experiences shifts in the economic landscape, such north-to-south migrations have become increasingly common. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, I explore the subjectivities, social location and mobility of western men and their Thai partners in Isan. This study highlights how temporal dimensions and particular spaces of settlement affect these migrants’ positions of privilege and performances of masculinity. Focusing on interpersonal relationships, I show how power is constructed and transformed within intimate, kin and social relations, and how men negotiate their positions. I also consider the experiences of Isan women married to western men by looking at how past relationships, kinship obligations and their social location in Thai society shape their imaginings of the future and decisions around migration and marriage. I found that western men in Thailand initially experienced an increase in status and capacity to perform new masculine identities, which they converted into assets in romantic relationships. Their positions of privilege in Isan were grounded in the relatively greater value of their financial resources and their identity as white westerners (farang). However, settling in Isan as a foreigner over time also introduced new forms of marginalization, social isolation and structural vulnerability. The very bases of their farang privilege tended to undermine their potential for trust and intimacy in their relationships, and eroded their sense of belonging. I found that while some Isan women use marriage and migration as advancement strategies for economic and social mobility, emotional and pragmatic desires comingled in ways that did not preclude the possibility of love. However, given the ambiguity of relationships developed within a sex tourism economy and divergent cultural understandings of love, marriage and kinship, many farang men questioned the authenticity of their intimate and kin relationships. Furthermore, Thai policies regarding residency and property ownership shifted power to their Thai partners, creating legal disadvantages and insecurity about the future. Despite a sense of ambivalence and disillusionment among many long-term migrants, most men did not pursue a move home, given their identity constructions were place-bound and financial obstacles affected their capacity for mobility.