Negotiating the trade route at the border : a case study of women small scale cross-border traders in Myitkyina, Myanmar | |
| Author | Khin Hnin Phyu |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GD-10-04 |
| Subject(s) | Small business--Boundaries--Myanmar--Myitkyina Women merchants--Boundaries--Myanmar--Myitkyina |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. GD-10-04 |
| Abstract | Unlike in the whole of Myanmar, in Kachin State, the flourishing of the border trade acti vities occur only after the ceased fire agreement between the ethnic armed groups and the government and the upgrading of the border road in 2002. Long before the ceased fire agreement and the upgrading of the border road , women have already been involved in the border trade in various forms. After 2002 , with the given unique situation where the ceased fire group still occupying the transit town for border trade and no custom office in the area, more women take advantage of it and join the informal border trade to meet their own ends. Along with the informal border trade increase , the state increases the enforcing of trade regulations along the informal trade route . This exploratory study attempted to analyze how women small scale traders are negotiating their trade environment at the border, along the trade route and in the markets and innovating ways to survive under the increasing pressure from the state. The study was conducted in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State. From the study, it was found that the changes in the trade environment brought about by the tightening of trade regulations affects the pattern of trade, the trade environment, and the relationships between and among the key actors of border trade. It was found that the effects are experienced by different women and men traders differently and very much gender specific as the majority of the small scale traders who have to face the negative effects are the women manufactured goods traders due to their gendered choices. Although women are able to manage and take the blurry spaces created by the unique political situation to meet their own ends, they are very vulnerable to the sudden changes in the trade environment. Thus when the choices and options are mediated by gendered expectations and perceptions, the outcomes also become gendered for the women and men small scale traders |
| Year | 2010 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. GD-10-04 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Gender and Development Studies (GD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kusakabe, Kyoko; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Doneys, Philippe;Routray, Jayant K.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | CETANA Educational Foundation, USA; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2010 |