Papers (Part 1)

• From Marriage Migration to Child Migration: The Migration from Thailand to Germany Pataya Ruenkaew

  The figures of the Thai population residing in Germany listed by the Federal Statistical Office (StatBA) reveal that migration from Thailand to Germany has taken place since 1960. Until 1975 the numbers of Thai men and women were nearly equal. Since 1975 the numbers of Thai women immigrating to and living in the Federal Republic have permanently increased. Since then, women make up the majority of Thais in Germany. Simultaneously the number of marriages between Thai women and German men has increased steadily since 1990. In 2016 there were 58,765 Thais in Germany, 13% of which are men and 87% women. About 60% of these women are married to German husbands. Thus, transnational migration from Thailand to Germany can be considered a largely female migration, and it has a characteristic of marriage migration.

  The findings of studies on Thai migrants in Germany indicate that the majority are single mothers, i.e. separated or divorced women who take the sole responsibility for their children born in a former relationship with Thai men. After a certain period of time, particularly when they gain a safe legal status or their lives are settled in the destination country They fetch their children to stay with them in Germany. Hence, female migration to Germany leads to the subsequent immigration of children. The paper provides an analysis of data from the Federal Statistical Office showing the development of the transnational migration of Thai women to Germany and discusses the situation of Thai migrant children.

• Making a Life out of “Unintended Transnationalism”: Thai Women’s Experiences of Transnational Living by Partnering Westerners as a Strategy for a Better Life Paul Statham University of Sussex

  This article provides an insightful contextualised analysis of what transnational living means for Thai women in long-term partnerships with Western men. We start out from an understanding of this form of transnational living as ‘unintended transnationalism’, that living a life defined by dependent intercultural exchanges with a foreigner was a by-product, not an aspiration of her strategy for a better life. We study how her relative access to rights, cultural differences, and positioning in social space and place, that results from her sharing a home with a Westerner, constitutes ‘transnational living’ and impacts upon her individual wellbeing, social relations and life-trajectory. The empirical analysis examines her negotiated exchanges with her partner (in a context of dependency) in setting up home (rights); interpersonal relations at home (cultural differences); and re-making home in Thailand (social space and place). The study draws from twenty biographical interviews with women in partnerships (between 7 and 30 years) with Westerners, currently resident in Thailand. We find that ‘transnational living’ is a challenging experience even for women who make material gains. First, her access to rights and property, healthcare etc. is formally dependent on maintaining her ‘marriage’. Second, she faces strong pressures to acculturate towards his Western tastes, language and values in the home, leading to conflicts. Third, her partnership defines her natal family relations, that can be challenging, while she faces stigmatisation by Thai society. Overall, living ‘unintended transnationalism’ can lead to isolation, dissociation from family, and dissimilation from belonging in Thailand.

• Thai Marriage Migrants in the UK: Social Network, Social Capital and Wellbeing Pattraporn Chuenglertsiri University of Sussex

  This paper discusses the relationship between social network, social capital and wellbeing of Thai marriage migrants in the UK. The paper will explore how social networks are formed among migrants and also between migrants and local residents. Thai marriage migrants in the UK build and re-build their network while settling in a new country. In new settings, Thai women participate and/or exclude themselves from various forms of social relationships. Furthermore, it will explore how and what kind of social capital Thai marriage migrants gained or exchanged through these networks. Focusing on forms of social relationships and networks outside from their relationship with their husband and children, I hope to examine migrants’ broader social ties which affect their lives as migrants in the UK. This paper will also examine how social network and social capital, or lack thereof, have impact on wellbeing of Thai women in the UK.

Papers (Part 2)

• Social and Cultural Capital in Thai Migrant Service-Based Entrepreneurship in the UK Sirijit Sunanta Mahidol University

  This paper examines Thai migrant entrepreneurship in the UK, drawing on 17 interviews with Thai migrants in Brighton, East Sussex. The findings reveal that Thai migrants tend own small-scale businesses or provide personal services in three sectors: cleaning and care work, beauty and massage, and food and catering. Thai businesses are becoming more flexible and informal in the lightly regulated business environment in the UK. Migrants’ higher educational level and social class backgrounds before migration do not necessarily translate into an advantage in starting a business in the UK. On the contrary, pre-existing family networks in the UK and marriage to UK nationals constitute important sources of social capital for migrant entrepreneurs. Thai businesses focusing on food, clean and care, and bodily services respond to the demand for affordable paid care services in more economically advanced but time poor society. Thai-ness is mobilized as a cultural capital that adds value to services provided by Thais.

• Socio-Economic Implications of Long-Term Western Migrants on Local Society: A Case Study of Pattaya, Thailand Kwanchanok Jaisuekun Mahidol University

  Thailand has long been a popular tourist destination. Nowadays, the country is becoming even more popular as a desirable long-stay destination, especially for those from Western countries. Thailand has received an increasing number of Western migrants, which includes expatriates, retirees, entrepreneurs, and those married to Thais. This phenomenon has captured media as well as academic attention. However, the effects of this migration on Thailand as the destination country have not been sufficiently discussed. This study aims to examine the perceptions of local residents towards socio-economic implications of long-term Western migrants on local society. Pattaya, a beach resort in Eastern Thailand, is selected as a case study as it is one of the most popular residential destinations for Western migrants in Thailand. This study adopts participant observation, semi-structured interviews and document analysis as primary methods that are used as a complimentary data collection strategy. This research discusses the impacts of Western migrants in Thailand using development theory and its relation with tourism and migration as a key theoretical framework. Preliminary findings reveal that the local population benefit from economic development that accompanies the arrival of Western migrants in the city. However, they are also negatively affected by the inflated property price and privatization of public services. The local way of life has been changed as a result of increasing diversity generated by this migration from wealthier countries.

• The Transnational, the Transgenerational and the Transcendantal: Thai Migrant Women in Their Buddhist Social Spaces in Belgium Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot Université Libre de Bruxelles

  The migration of Thai women in Europe has been characterised by its strong matrimonial orientation. Belgium is one of the destinations of these women who arrive in this country to mainly form a couple and eventually a family with a Belgian man. The number of Thai restaurants, massage salons and Thai Buddhist temples in this society attests to the increasing presence of Thai migrants. Based on semi-structured interviews and observations in Thai religious spaces, this presentation unveils the different significations of religious associative life of Thai migrant women in Belgium. The first signification can be qualified as “transnational” as these women frequent a Thai temple to reinforce their links with their country of origin and to provide a symbolic reference to their ethnic identification. The second sense can be described as “transgenerational” as their participation in different activities in the temple facilitates their transmission of cultural and religious values to their children. Finally, their religious associative life has “transcendental” meaning, because it invigorates their spirituality and improve their understanding of the profane world. All these significations reflect the often-challenging situation of Thai migrant women in Belgium, who usually find themselves facing various social and familial expectations “here” and/or “there”.

Abstract

Keywords

• Borderlands
• Europe
• Thailand
• Transnationalism