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

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments On completing this research project, I express my deep gratitude to the many remarkable women who so openly and readily shared their lives with me. This book would not have been possible without their participation . I especially thank Sripai, Nay, Pik, Saneh, Soey, Taan, Mai, Pai, Dao, Patcharin, Thim, and Khun Chawkieng. I also thank the factory owners for graciously allowing me access to their factories, as well as Phil Robertson for his help and support in ensuring access to the women at YCW Rangsit. Without his help, I would not have had the opportunity to develop contacts during the initial stages of my fieldwork. I also thank P’Lek Junya Yimprasert of the Thai Labour Campaign for her incredible energy and impassioned commitment to workers’ rights and social justice. For inspiring my work, I would also like to acknowledge Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker, and for guidance of the early stages of my project, I would especially like to thank Ji Ungpakorn. An important guide in my journey was Jim Petras, who provided moral support and encouragement throughout my time as a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at Binghamton University (SUNY). His guidance and supervision helped me get this research off the ground, and Jim remains a great inspiration for me. I also thank Martin Murray and James Geschwender for carefully guiding my doctoral research and for providing constructive feedback on developing the book. At the University at Buffalo, I thank the Department of Women’s Studies , The UB College of Arts & Sciences, The Julian Park Fund, The Baldy Center for Law & Social Policy, and The Gender Institute at the University at Buffalo. I especially thank Masani Alexis De Veaux for her wisdom and friendship as well as inspiration through her poetry. Lynn Mather and David Engel reviewed drafts of the project and provided valuable insights at a crucial stage in developing the research into a book (as well as moral support beyond the call of duty). I also thank the participants of the Baldy Manuscript Workshop, including Lynn, who organized the workshop, David and Jaruwan Engel, Frank Munger, Rebecca French, Jim Atleson, Roger des Forges, Ruth Meyerowitz, Kari Winter, Susan Cahn, and Rami Sreenivasan―all of whom provided me with helpful comments and suggestions . The Baldy Center invited two accomplished ethnographers with a burning concern for women’s rights in the workplace―Susan Tiano and Ping-Chun Hsiung―to comment on my research. As a result, I benefited greatly from their expertise, and I thank them for their positive encouragement , valuable comments, and constructive criticism which were very helpful in the final revisions of this book. I thank my commissioning editor, Fran Benson, for recognizing the original contribution of my research and for helping me bring this book to fruition. I couldn’t have asked for a better editorial team at Cornell University Press, and I thank Teresa Jesionowski and Patricia Sterling for their sharp and perceptive editorial work. I also thank the incomparable Do Mi Stauber for her brilliant work on the index. I could not have written this book without the love and support of my family. I thank a remarkable woman, Jittima, my mom, for her love and wisdom, and I dedicate this book to her and to the loving memory of my dad, whose kindness, generosity and down-to-earth sensibility taught me the meaning of compassion. Agreat inspiration for me was one of the most accomplished scientists of her generation, my grandmother, Nuanchan Bunnag. I thank my sister, Nim, whose wit and wicked sense of humor kept me going. This book is about feisty women who take control of their own lives against all odds, but a kind and extraordinary man has always been there when I needed him―Thank you, Ekk. I have been very lucky to have such a supportive family. My faith in this project has been sustained by my Buddhist spiritual mentor and guide, Khun Nussornpan. Last, I thank Tig for being there for me. Piya Pangsapa Buffalo, New York x Acknowledgments Textures of Struggle This page intentionally left blank. ...