Paper short abstract:

In the wake of the #metoo movement and a greater awareness of the effects of patriarchy worldwide, this presentation will explore the consequences of patriarchy through the sexual negotiations of men and women in one urban setting in Northern Thailand.

Paper long abstract:

In the wake of the #metoo movement and a greater awareness of the effects of patriarchy worldwide, this presentation will explore the consequences of patriarchy through the sexual negotiations of men and women in one urban setting in Northern Thailand. Based on one year of ethnographic research in and around sex establishments and 60 formal interviews, this research aims to nuance the role of sexual decision-making in perpetuating and combatting greater patriarchal structures. This presentation will explore the concept of patriarchy in the Thai nation-state, discussing its similarities and differences to the Western model. Then, this presentation will problematize the lack of incorporation of the #metoo movement in Thailand, exploring the movement's successes and failures. Finally, this presentation will dispute that while new discourses around patriarchy — matched with new economic and social power for some women — have led to the "death" of patriarchy in its traditional form, Thai men and women are resurrecting new forms of patriarchy that mix the traditional with the transnational.