PI Nikos Dacany presents at the Second International Conference on Human Rights and Peace and Conflict in Southeast Asia

PI Nikos Dacanay presented a paper which he developed from his research on migrant women organisations in northern Thailand and their use of ICT at the Second International Conference on Human Rights and Peace and Conflict in Southeast Asia. Below is his account on his presentation experience and his current research work.

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I was fortunate to have presented a paper which I developed from my research on migrant women organisations in northern Thailand and their use of ICT at the Second International Conference on Human Rights and Peace and Conflict in Southeast Asia. The conference was held in Jakarta on 17-18 October and organised by the Southeast Asia Human Rights Network of Mahidol University, Thailand.

My research project on the Thai-Burma border looks at the role of mobile phones and the Internet in empowering ethnic women and in improving the work of the migrant organisations. The paper that I presented, on the other hand, looks at women’s mediated understanding of women’s rights and cultural rights. I propose how notions of rights are placed within a field of mediations and negotiations, something which I suggest is a strategic move by the migrant women in order to preserve their cultural identities and at the same time challenge cultural practices that put women in a subordinate status to men.

In preparing the paper, I examined texts and images that women produce and reproduce on their websites, on topics such as gender stereotypes, gender-based discrimination, and CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). I then juxtaposed these texts and images against their personal views regarding idealised traits for single and married women, the role of men as decision makers in the family, and the role of women as obedient daughters or wives. The women use cultural rights in defending these personal views regarding women’s roles in the society.

I used Kabeer’s (2001) notion of empowerment and agency to analyse the contradicting ideas between the texts and images that women put on their websites and their personal views regarding women’s roles in the society. I argue that migrant women exercise their agency in defending their personal views regarding women as cultural rights. Ironically, this exercise, aided by education and training, gives them the space to also challenge cultural practices that marginalize women. In challenging cultural practices, cultural rights, as much as women’s rights, is therefore seen as something that is also mediated and negotiated.

Reference:

Kabeer, Naila. 2001. “Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Equality.” In  A. Sisask (Ed.), Discussing Women’s Empowerment: Theory and practice. Stockholm: Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).