Globalising Thailand through gendered ‘both-ways’ migration pathways with ‘the West’: cross-border connections between people, states, and places

Abstract

This article explains why significant Thai-Western 'both-ways' migration pathways have evolved, grown and sustained over the last decades. It introduces a set of research contributions on transnational social relationships and cross-border connections between people that arise from the increasingly large-scale mobilities and migrations between Thailand and 'the West'countries from Europe, North America and Australia. While Thai and Western people's social relationships are usually studied as personal stories within a cross-border marriage migration perspective, we consider it necessary to see them as more than marriage migration. Specifically, we argue that the growing 'bothways' Thai-Western migration pathways can only be understood by reference to three features of globalisation processes specific to Thailand: first, cross-border connections and social networks generated by massive West-to-Thailand tourist mobilities that incentivise Western men to see living permanently with a Thai partner as 'realistic'; second, the radical transformations of Thai rural societies under conditions of economic development that produces 'surplus' mobile women; and third, the restrictive state immigration and citizenship regimes in the West and Thailand that leaves few pathways open for migration, other than by 'marriage'. In sum, Thailand's specific experience of globalisation is the explanatory backstory to the extraordinary prevalence of Thai-Western 'both-ways' migrations.

Practising privilege. How settling in Thailand enables older Western migrants to enact privilege over local people

“…Eleven interviewees are men, and six are in a long-lasting relationship with a Thai. Existing research on Westerners in Thailand focuses on the experiences of heterosexual men which reflects the high sex-ratio of male to female Western migrants to Thailand (circa 80% are men, see Statham et al 2020). To sensitise the possible differences within this group of migrants, and to add 'untold stories', we have included nine women, two of whom live in Thailand with their Western husband.…”

“…Their life, although physically tiring, is not punitive as nature provides plenty of food 'behind the house'. The idealised depiction of rural and peaceful Thailand is in stark contrast with the country's recent socio-economic development (Statham et al 2020). In the last 30 years, the Thai economy has been radically transformed by globalisation and has experienced intense urbanisation and agro-industrialisation.…”

Gender, class, and paradoxical mobilities of Thai marriage migrants in Austria

“…She is not happy in her relationship but remains ‘ khreng jai ’ (considerate 7 ) since her husband paid for the renovation of her parents’ house in Thailand and since they have children together. As also pointed out by Statham (2020), Thai women who are married to Westerners need to mediate between competing demands of their (Thai) family and the Western partner.…”

“…They argue that the reversal of the gender gap in education (women will have higher education than men) impacts the composition of assortative mating and marriages. Statham (2020) studied the long‐term consequence of Thai‐Western marriage and identified four factors (access to formal rights, differential ageing, obligations to natal family, and human capital/resources) leading to increased female agency within the relationship.…”

“…While most studies conducted on Thai‐Western relationships have been carried out in Thailand, this research focuses on Thai migrants’ experiences and socioeconomic mobility in the destination area. Existing research on Thai communities in Europe emphasizes a highly feminized migration pattern which is mainly linked to marriage‐related mobility (Statham et al ., 2020). Studies in this context investigate the motivations of Thai women marrying across borders (Ruenkaew, 2003; Sims, 2012), the economic and social remittances they send back home (Suksomboon, 2008), the increase of binational marriages in Sweden (Haandrikman, 2014), mothering techniques of Thai migrants (Fresnoza‐Flot, 2018), Thai women's global house‐holding (Fresnoza‐Flot & Merla, 2018), Thai immigrant entrepreneurship (Webster & Haandrikman, 2017; Webster, 2017), and sex‐work related migration (Lisborg, 2002; Mix & Piper, 2004).…”