The 3-day workshop “Gender, Intersectionality, and Forced Displacement” from 24th to 26th November 2023 at Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Social Science, brought together 17 participants from Thailand and Laos with diverse academic and professional backgrounds, including graduate students, faculty members, development practitioners, and media personnel. The workshop delved into issues surrounding gender, intersectionality, multiple identities, gender-based violence, postcolonial feminism, and agency within the context of forced displacement.
Organized by Dr. Soontree Siriinntawong from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Dr. Maliwan Senawong from Chiang Mai University’s Womens Studies Center, the event featured a series of lectures, a field visit, and an interactive session with Myanmar students with experiences of forced displacement. The lectures provided a foundational understanding of key elements encompassing sex, gender, sexuality, intersectionality, positionality, agency, and postcolonial feminism.
The field visit offered participants an up-close view of the realities faced by Shan migrants in Chiang Mai, offering insights into the displacement experienced by this community. A notable highlight was the interaction session with Myanmar students, where their personal narratives and lived experiences contributed to discussions intertwining gender perspectives and forced displacement issues. The output from the workshop will be a compiled volume of essays written by participants.
