Household, Village and Local Politics: Gender and the Politics of Common in Rural Transformation

Abstract

"This paper explores rural transformation and how this process constructs livelihood struggle and negotiations among different actors. Empirical data is mainly drawn from the authors fieldwork in a village in the Northeast of Thailand between 1997 - 1999. It will argue that the politics of common needs to consider micro political economy, i.e., the politics at micro level where people negotiate relationships in order to sustain their living. It will also argue that negotiations people engaged in respect to the common are also structured by gender. The transformation has resulted in the erosion of common and environmental resources. Households in the villages therefore have turned to earn their living by relying more and more on human resources. However, people compose their livelihoods by utilizing both physical and non-physical common resources. Where social and cultural resources are implicated with development or wellbeing of people, it does not necessarily mean that this type of resource underpins equal access or equal distribution. In the household level, rights, obligations and responsibilities are the land fields of the politics of commons on which households members are constantly negotiated for their personal wellbeing. Gender disparity has been evident in the village affaires that implicated by the state and the market. The exclusion of women from the politics of common is particularly the case in the SAO. Where women are elected into the SAO, they are expected by the male members to perform duties related with domestic."