A transnational rite of passage : lived experiences of Thai international students in Perth, Western Australia Tannikarn Soonsinpai

2009

[Truncated abstract] My experience of being a Thai overseas student in Perth, Western Australia, has led me to this ethnographic study of the phenomenon of overseas study in general, and of Thai postgraduate students in Perth in particular. The existing academic research on international students tends to focus on a single aspect of their experience, for example, the attractions of the host country, the difficulties encountered by students, or the adaptive strategies they use to negotiate their studies. None of this work is based on ethnographic research and there are very few accounts of international students from Thailand. In contrast, my study takes a holistic approach to the lived experience of Thai students in Australia. I explore the microcosm of day-to-day living and consider how this connects individuals to events and priorities evident at the macro level of contemporary Thai society. I employ the theoretical concept of 'rite of passage' as a central analytical framework to consider whether Thai people who have studied successfully overseas undergo a transformation, on their return to Thailand, in terms of improved social status and enhanced social and cultural capital. I use several dimensions of the rites of passage model to explore the impact of global social and economic transformation on the way international education is promoted to students and their families, and how collective changes in Thai society contribute to the overseas student phenomenon. I engage critically with the 'rite of passage' concept by considering its analytical values and limitations at both micro and macro levels of the societies that my research participants navigate as they cross national borders. Fieldwork, conducted in 2005-2006, included participant observation and indepth interviews with 30 informants. These students are divided into two groups according to age, type of

funding, and the academic degree they were enrolled in. I compare the experiences of these g

in terms of their motivations to undertake overseas education, their social standing in Thailand and their financial status. Parental influence in the decision to study overseas was highly significant for the younger group and is explored here through an analysis of a reciprocal concept of bunkhun. These elements relate to the separation phase in the rites of passage model. I explore the liminal phase of the process through an examination of Thai students' experiences of community whilst living in Perth and their strategies for maintaining contact with family and friends at home. I employ the concept of transnationalism to discuss these day-to-day connections. With regards to incorporation, the third stage in the classic rite of passage model, I employ the concepts of cultural capital, status, honour, and cosmopolitanism to examine the students’ experiences of reintegration on their return to Thailand...

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2010

http://repository.uwa.edu.au:80/R/-?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=13120&silo_library=GEN01