From “Domestic” to “Public” Spaces: Transformation of Rural Isan Women Prior to Joining the Social Movement Resisting State Policies in Northeastern Thailand between 1950–1990

Abstract

This article revisits the studies of “rural women” in northeastern Thailand, or vernacularly called “Isan.” I focus on the rural women’s histories before they engage in the social movements resisting dam construction projects. Dams were large-scale development projects launched by the central government as part of their expanding power to control natural resources in other regions between 1950 and 1990. This article aims to understand the rural Isan women’s transformation in the context of changing economic, social, and political structures. It further seeks to identify the factors that influenced women to participate in the resistance movement. The study reviews a collection of historical records, comprising research reports, academic articles, newsletters, newspapers, and any relevant document that records the stories of “rural Isan women.” I employ gender as an analytical concept to guide my understanding of the negotiation processes and their transformation. The research reveals that two key factors significantly influence the decisions of women. First, modern “Isan women” connect their “domestic” and “public” spheres via the market. Second, the women have taken on a new role as the “medium, ” bridging the local market within their communities to external markets or coordinating among various types of traders through “networks”. Emigrating from their local communities to work to earn income to “care” for their families enabled them to encounter modernity and gain new experiences, knowledge, and skills, especially negotiation. These encounters encouraged the rural Isan women to feel confident enough to participate in the resistance movement against dam construction.