Veena N. | Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) (original) (raw)
Papers by Veena N.
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
The two books under review reveal many facts about the countriesThailand and India-as much by wha... more The two books under review reveal many facts about the countriesThailand and India-as much by what they say as by what they do not say, how they say it, and who does the saying. Genders and Sexualities in Modem Thailand presents interesting facts about women, men, and gender relations in Thailand and, more importantly, places on record the socio-cultural landscape of Thailand and the changes being wrought in the concepts of identity, sexuality, and gender. The papers published in the Economic and Political Weekly and compiled in Ideals, Images and Real Lives are an effort in history making, ’ordering and reinterpreting the past’ (p. 1), to quote Maithreyi Krishnaraj’s introductory essay ’Permeable Boundaries.’ Using history, literary criticism, and discourse analysis, these papers delve_into different aspects of the Indian psyche to reveal the conscious and subconscious images of women. While Indian women have successfully fought to make women-friendly laws, the vast majority of Ind...
Gender and the Digital Economy: Perspectives from the Developing World, 2005
Environment, Development and Sustainability
The traditional livelihood of the Soliga, indigenous people living in Biligiri Rangana Hills, was... more The traditional livelihood of the Soliga, indigenous people living in Biligiri Rangana Hills, was disrupted by the Government of India through a ban on the collection and sale of non-timber forest products in 2004 and the creation of a tiger reserve in 2011. With this, State control over the Soligas’ forest-based mobility increased and their traditional mobility for subsistence, livelihood, and culture was severely restricted. Arrests and violence were used to intimidate them into moving away from the forest. Using the concept of governmobility, this paper analyzes how indigenous women and men struggle against and cope with the State’s efforts to control their mobility. We found that women and men used different strategies to cope with the situation and support themselves and their families. While men internalized the State’s regulations and changed their mobility patterns completely, women continued to resist the State’s control over their mobility within the forest because of their position as secondary citizens in a patriarchal state. Women’s resistance to or compliance with the State-imposed ban was mediated by their relationship with the State, the relationship being evidenced by the services and facilities offered and opportunities available.
Gender, Technology and Development
Gender, Technology and Development, 2007
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
An international conference on the theme of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) ... more An international conference on the theme of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) for Human Development was organized at Goa, India, from 20 to 23 February 2001 jointly by the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathemat-ics Educators ( ...
Gender, Technology and Development, 2003
Gender, Technology and Development, 2000
Gender, Technology and Development, 2000
Gender, Technology and Development, 2007
The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a... more The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a new sensibility adding more complexity to the debate. In this age of information technology, the world's oldest profession has also found new spaces and new media for itself. This exploratory study seeks to examine women's engagement with technology in the area of sex work. The first section summarizes the most prevalent views on prostitution, which range from 'bad women' to 'poor victims' to 'agents'. The second section recapitulates the context of sex work in Thailand, especially its historical, socioeconomic and cultural complexity. Literature on sex work in Thailand is plentiful; however, there is little on freelance sex workers who are a critical part of the sex work scene. The third section presents field data on the use of technology to seek sex work in Bangkok, arguing that women choose to use technology Acknowledgments: I acknowledge the leadership of Dr Kyoko Kusakabe in this research project. The contribution of Prathueng Chauykliang Pootsri, Somchai Chauykliang and Vichai Viratkapan in interviewing sex workers, and Brianne Johnston in editing and research support is also acknowledged. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Into the Light: Young Female Migrant Workers in Thailand’s Seafood Sector and their Access to Decent Work, 2018
This research analyses how the role of gender, norms, and stereotypes shape the opportunities tha... more This research analyses how the role of gender, norms, and stereotypes shape the opportunities that Cambodian young women have, both if they migrate to work in the Thai seafood industry, as well if they stay in their own village in Cambodia. The research focuses on their access to education, training, and social protection services. The aim of the research is to develop appropriate program and policy recommendations for gender transformative interventions both in Thailand and in Cambodia, which would result in ensuring young Cambodian women’s rights as workers and migrants, as well as mothers and as daughters.
Gender Technology and Development, 2007
The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a... more The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a new sensibility adding more complexity to the debate. In this age of information technology, the world's oldest profession has also found new spaces and new media for itself. This exploratory study seeks to examine women's engagement with technology in the area of sex work. The first section summarizes the most prevalent views on prostitution, which range from 'bad women' to 'poor victims' to 'agents'. The second section recapitulates the context of sex work in Thailand, especially its historical, socioeconomic and cultural complexity. Literature on sex work in Thailand is plentiful; however, there is little on freelance sex workers who are a critical part of the sex work scene. The third section presents field data on the use of technology to seek sex work in Bangkok, arguing that women choose to use technology to offer sexual services for a variety of economic and social reasons; and that within the situation of gendered inequities that places them in vulnerable situations, they have empowered themselves through the use of technology.
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
The two books under review reveal many facts about the countriesThailand and India-as much by wha... more The two books under review reveal many facts about the countriesThailand and India-as much by what they say as by what they do not say, how they say it, and who does the saying. Genders and Sexualities in Modem Thailand presents interesting facts about women, men, and gender relations in Thailand and, more importantly, places on record the socio-cultural landscape of Thailand and the changes being wrought in the concepts of identity, sexuality, and gender. The papers published in the Economic and Political Weekly and compiled in Ideals, Images and Real Lives are an effort in history making, ’ordering and reinterpreting the past’ (p. 1), to quote Maithreyi Krishnaraj’s introductory essay ’Permeable Boundaries.’ Using history, literary criticism, and discourse analysis, these papers delve_into different aspects of the Indian psyche to reveal the conscious and subconscious images of women. While Indian women have successfully fought to make women-friendly laws, the vast majority of Ind...
Gender and the Digital Economy: Perspectives from the Developing World, 2005
Environment, Development and Sustainability
The traditional livelihood of the Soliga, indigenous people living in Biligiri Rangana Hills, was... more The traditional livelihood of the Soliga, indigenous people living in Biligiri Rangana Hills, was disrupted by the Government of India through a ban on the collection and sale of non-timber forest products in 2004 and the creation of a tiger reserve in 2011. With this, State control over the Soligas’ forest-based mobility increased and their traditional mobility for subsistence, livelihood, and culture was severely restricted. Arrests and violence were used to intimidate them into moving away from the forest. Using the concept of governmobility, this paper analyzes how indigenous women and men struggle against and cope with the State’s efforts to control their mobility. We found that women and men used different strategies to cope with the situation and support themselves and their families. While men internalized the State’s regulations and changed their mobility patterns completely, women continued to resist the State’s control over their mobility within the forest because of their position as secondary citizens in a patriarchal state. Women’s resistance to or compliance with the State-imposed ban was mediated by their relationship with the State, the relationship being evidenced by the services and facilities offered and opportunities available.
Gender, Technology and Development
Gender, Technology and Development, 2007
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
Gender, Technology and Development, 2001
An international conference on the theme of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) ... more An international conference on the theme of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education (STME) for Human Development was organized at Goa, India, from 20 to 23 February 2001 jointly by the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathemat-ics Educators ( ...
Gender, Technology and Development, 2003
Gender, Technology and Development, 2000
Gender, Technology and Development, 2000
Gender, Technology and Development, 2007
The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a... more The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a new sensibility adding more complexity to the debate. In this age of information technology, the world's oldest profession has also found new spaces and new media for itself. This exploratory study seeks to examine women's engagement with technology in the area of sex work. The first section summarizes the most prevalent views on prostitution, which range from 'bad women' to 'poor victims' to 'agents'. The second section recapitulates the context of sex work in Thailand, especially its historical, socioeconomic and cultural complexity. Literature on sex work in Thailand is plentiful; however, there is little on freelance sex workers who are a critical part of the sex work scene. The third section presents field data on the use of technology to seek sex work in Bangkok, arguing that women choose to use technology Acknowledgments: I acknowledge the leadership of Dr Kyoko Kusakabe in this research project. The contribution of Prathueng Chauykliang Pootsri, Somchai Chauykliang and Vichai Viratkapan in interviewing sex workers, and Brianne Johnston in editing and research support is also acknowledged. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Into the Light: Young Female Migrant Workers in Thailand’s Seafood Sector and their Access to Decent Work, 2018
This research analyses how the role of gender, norms, and stereotypes shape the opportunities tha... more This research analyses how the role of gender, norms, and stereotypes shape the opportunities that Cambodian young women have, both if they migrate to work in the Thai seafood industry, as well if they stay in their own village in Cambodia. The research focuses on their access to education, training, and social protection services. The aim of the research is to develop appropriate program and policy recommendations for gender transformative interventions both in Thailand and in Cambodia, which would result in ensuring young Cambodian women’s rights as workers and migrants, as well as mothers and as daughters.
Gender Technology and Development, 2007
The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a... more The debate around prostitution has existed for as long as sex work has. With each new era comes a new sensibility adding more complexity to the debate. In this age of information technology, the world's oldest profession has also found new spaces and new media for itself. This exploratory study seeks to examine women's engagement with technology in the area of sex work. The first section summarizes the most prevalent views on prostitution, which range from 'bad women' to 'poor victims' to 'agents'. The second section recapitulates the context of sex work in Thailand, especially its historical, socioeconomic and cultural complexity. Literature on sex work in Thailand is plentiful; however, there is little on freelance sex workers who are a critical part of the sex work scene. The third section presents field data on the use of technology to seek sex work in Bangkok, arguing that women choose to use technology to offer sexual services for a variety of economic and social reasons; and that within the situation of gendered inequities that places them in vulnerable situations, they have empowered themselves through the use of technology.