Globalization and Human Rights as Gendered Ideologies: A Case Study from Northeast Thailand

Abstract

Economic globalization and its counter ideology, human rights, share philosophical foundations in liberalism, in which individual rights are central. But the public/private divide of liberalism has been instrumental in denying women their human rights in both domains. Using the case of a pulp mill and its effects on the surrounding community, this article traces how Western liberal philosophy constructs both globalization and human rights as gendered development discourses in Northeastern Thailand (Isan).

In Isan’s traditional bilateral culture, women inherit land while men hold legal authority. In the context of industrialization, new household employment scenarios emerge that erode women’s traditional equality in the public sphere and worsen their position in the private sphere. At the same time, the environmental rights movement has been led by men, resulting in their increased visibility and an under-articulation of women’s issues. The gendering of liberalism requires that women claim their unique location with respect to environmental rights as well as expand their legal claims and protections to the private sphere. It is for women’s groups to articulate how their particular location differs from that of the men and to claim their rights in both public and private spheres.