Textures of Struggle: The Emergence of Resistance among Garment Workers in Thailand

Glossary

Glossary All words and phrases are based on my own phonetic spelling of Thai in the vernacular capturing the way that the women understood the meanings and nuances of these words and phrases. Thai is a complex tonal language and there is no universal standard for transliterating Thai into English. As an ethnographic research project, this study focuses on how respondents construct meanings in their lived experiences—thus this book should offer a space for the women’s own voices. Consequently, I chose to spell the words and phrases in a way that best captures the pronunciation of standard spoken Thai in the context of the lives of the women at the heart of this study. ajarn professor batr pra cha chon citizenship identification cards chiwit jing jing the “nitty gritty” of life chorb like chood meeh teddy bear outfit chuey old-fashioned condo small flat or apartment choom chon urban slum community dek baan nok country girl dek loon mai younger generation dek pump gas station attendant dek thaloh kan kids fighting with each other 206 Glossary dhet bold, daring, fearless doo rae tua eng taking care of oneself farang Western foreigner hua khaeng hard-headed hua na supervisor im tua satisfied itch chaah jealous jai dee kind, generous jai rai mean, cruel jitsamnukh consciousness jungwat province kae kurn pai too old kamakorn laborer kana kamakarn committee or group kau nah advanced/progressive khao dum black and white khid maak to think too much khon krungthep urbanite/Bangkokian khon ngarn worker khon ngarn pi seth special worker khunna parb chiwit quality of living klum puan social clique of friends klum yaan district labor group/workers’ zone group kra dook suaham bone frailty krating daeng Red Bull kra toon jitsamnukh the act of raising consciousness kurd phen khon chon to be born poor kwai buffalo kwarm kuey chin out of habit or routine kwarm ob oohn warmth/feeling of comfort and security kwarm rab pid chorb responsibility maatra jet sib hah Article 75 mae mother mai chorb dislike mai duad rhon no worries mai mee kang wohn to have no worries mai mee nam ya no substance mai puad hua without headache mai sohn jai we don’t care maw saam the equivalent of the 9th grade Glossary 207 mee ngarn kor dee laew having a job is good enough mee rabeyb to be a proper person/orderly mop demonstration nai jarng factory boss/employer ngarn leng rush orders ngarn rahb mao piece-rate job njuad production line pah aunt, elderly woman pa-ra a burden paw jai satisfied paw yoo dai livable pee pee nong nong siblings pew kao neyn fair, smooth skin pew kao phong whiter, fairer complexion pew klaam pew dum darker skin phen tua rau eng to be myself plern plern gradually poo ying than samay modern woman por hok the equivalent of the 6th grade pratharn look jarng worker/employee representative pratharn raeng ngarn union representative puan sanid closest friends rabob rahb mao piecework system reyb roi proper rohng a place/shelter rohng ngarn factory rohng reyn ratr city public school rohng reyn wat temple school rohng sohb coffin roo dee to know too much saat tru enemy sabai-sabai easygoing sahaparb union sahaparb raeng ngarn labor union sahmakee unity samosohn food coop sao rohng ngarn factory girl sawatikarn worker benefits seya lek younger or junior factory boss/employer/owner seya yai older or senior factory boss/employer/owner 208 Glossary sithi rights soi street suam toilets tahng ratr shortcut tham jai to prepare yourself tham hai pew kao to whiten the skin tham ngarn pua luke to work for one’s children tha na class thansamay modern thon mai dai “can’t stand”/unbearable tid khun yai attached to grandmother toong ngarn wai to delay the workload tua tan njuad production line representative tu raed ridiculous tukh taew townhouse building tukh taew saarm chun three-story building tukh taew see chun four-story building yoo dai pai wan wan getting by day to day yudh amnard to take over ...