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Book Cover
E-book
Author Trupp, Alexander

Title Migration, Micro-Business and Tourism in Thailand : Highlanders in the City
Published Florence : Taylor and Francis, 2016

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Description 1 online resource (168 pages)
Series Routledge Studies in Asian Diasporas, Migrations and Mobilities
Routledge studies in Asian diasporas, migrations, and mobilities.
Contents Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Figures; Tables; Acknowledgements; 1 Ethnic minorities and street vendors in Thailand's tourist areas; Highlanders in the city; Street vendors as micro-entrepreneurs; The structure of the book; 2 Conceptual foundations and methodology; Understanding mobilities, agency, and embeddedness; Field research and data collection; Data analysis; 3 Thailand and the ethnic minority context; The making of a 'hilltribe problem'; The Akha; 4 Ethnic tourism and the evolution of micro-businesses in urban contexts; From hillside to roadside
Moving on to Bangkok and the beachsideThe development of Akha souvenirs; 5 Opportunities and constraints; Economic structures and market conditions; Politico-legal structures; 6 Differences within: Migration, vending, and gender; Types of migrants and migration; Vending styles; Gendered practices; 7 Social dimensions of economic action; Mobilizing insider relations; Mobilizing outsider relations; 8 Strategies and dilemmas in the field of urban souvenir businesses; Social cohesion versus competition and individualization; Politico-legal constraints versus mobility
Economic opportunities versus exploitationCultural capital versus discrimination; Outlook; Index
Summary "Visitors to Thailand's urban and beach-sided tourist hotspots notice the presence of colourful and predominantly female vendors offering self-made and mass-manufactured products. A high percentage of these vendors are members of the highland ethnic minority group of Akha who have become micro-entrepreneurs or self-employed street vendors. The work and everyday life experiences of these ethnic minority migrants are situated at the intersections of tourism, migration, and the informal sector. This book investigates the social, economic, and political embeddedness of street vendors in urban tourist contexts in Thailand. Based on extensive field research, it presents a detailed analysis of urban-directed mobility patterns and revealing strategies and dilemmas in the urban souvenir business. Focusing on the development of urban ethnic minority souvenir stalls run mostly by people belonging to the group of 'hilltribes', the author explains the spatial expansion of ethnic businesses and assesses the economic and political obstacles micro-entrepreneurs are confronted with. The book offers an understanding of the everyday practices and social relations of and between unequally powerful actors related to ethnic minority tourism in urban contexts, and systematically integrates individual and collective action into socio-economic and politico-institutional contexts"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Rural-urban migration -- Thailand
Akha (Southeast Asian people) -- Thailand -- Migrations
Women migrant labor -- Thailand
Street vendors -- Thailand
Culture and tourism -- Thailand
Culture and tourism
Rural-urban migration
Street vendors
Women migrant labor
Thailand
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9781315363646
131536364X