| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 人類學研究所 === 107 === My thesis focuses on the descendants of Yunnanese migration from Thailand and Myanmar working in the tourism industry in Phuket, Thailand. The Yunnanese, famous for their entrepreneurship character, has long history of trade migration via mule caravan in the highland of Southeast Asia. In the region with multiple political entities and social structures, the Yunnanese are flexible in finding their own social position and the market niches for their economy activities. The ability of risk-taking, looking forward to exploring the world and establishing one’s own career have become the cultural logics of the Yunnanese. In the end of 1980s, with the rising Chinese-speaking tourism market contributed to Taiwanese tourists in Phuket island, the Yunnanese entered to the island and established the Chinese-speaking tourism industry monopoly which is now aimed at the tourists from China. My research questions are: Who are those “Yunnanese” working in the tourism industry in Phuket? How do they recruit into the industry? How do the Yunnanese youths understand their life situation when facing the uncertainty and temporality of the tourism industry? First, I discuss the appearance and the meaning of “middleman” role of the Yunnanese in contemporary Thai society and the tourism industry. Second, I analyze the operation of the Chinese-speaking tourism industry in Phuket island. I argue that the identification of “Yunnanese” has ethnic significance in the particular labor circumstances. Lastly, I focus on the labor regime of the industry. Basing on the stories of the Yunnanese youths, I discuss that the Yunnanese youths have their own comprehension of their labor situation. I argue that the ethos of Yunnanese and the characteristic of Chinese-speaking tourism industry in Phuket island generate “hope” which makes Yunnanese youth understand their life situation and keeps them moving forward to achieve their “success” constantly.
|
|---|
