The transformation of transnationalism: Legal status and security for Burmese refugees in Japan and Thailand.

摘要

This dissertation explores the transnational political activities (TPA) of refugees and migrants who seek to change the regimes in the countries that they have left behind. Focusing on Burmese refugees and migrants residing in Japan and Thailand, it probes the link between "the security context" of displaced individuals---their ability to reside and travel within the host country without risk of deportation and arrest---and their ability to engage in TPA.; The dissertation offered two propositions. First, legal status is not the only means by which to achieve a positive security context. Unofficial mechanisms also provide security to some members of the TPA population. Second, a positive security context for refugees and migrants is the underlying condition that allows TPA to take place.; The findings indicate that the original propositions are only partially supported. In Thailand, both legal status and unofficial mechanisms help provide a positive security context to migrants and refugees, but in Japan, only legal status enables a positive security context. In both countries, a positive security context is a condition for most types of TPA, but, particularly for activities that occur in the private domain, neither legal status nor unofficial mechanisms are necessary for TPA. Furthermore, TPA can either be positively reinforcing or negatively reinforcing---TPA can change the nature of the security context, and the security context can influence TPA.; The findings in Thailand and Japan demonstrate that different types of TPA thrive in these respective host countries. At the same time, different types of TPA are highly complementary, utilizing information and resources in different ways to target different audiences to achieve similar goals. If generalized across TPA populations, the implication could be that for TPA participants and organizations to create the most effective TPA campaigns, they will need to work with one another across host country boundaries as well as across home country boundaries. The transnational fields in which refugees and migrants operate will grow larger and more complex, generating new theoretical and practical spaces for the displaced to engage in transnational advocacy.