This article identifies key priorities and challenges that lie in the path of achieving gender eq... more This article identifies key priorities and challenges that lie in the path of achieving gender equality targets, particularly in the high-poverty and increasingly resource-scarce context of Southeast Asian fisheries.
The first international conference of the Kartini Network for Women’s/ Gender Studies entitled ‘A... more The first international conference of the Kartini Network for Women’s/ Gender Studies entitled ‘Asian Women’s/Gender Studies and Education Practice in the New Millennium’ was held in Dalian, China from 21 to 24 September 2004. The conference was hosted by the Center for Gender Studies, Dalian University and funded by Oxfam, Hong Kong, Hivos, Misereor, the Ford Foundation and the Higher Board for Christian Education in Hong Kong. The conference had five themes: women’s studies, religious fundamentalisms, conflict resolution, sexual rights and globalization, and economic reforms. The conference was attended by over 130 participants from 20 countries. Around half of the participants were from China. The conference was bilingual in English and Chinese, though in practice, translations to and from various Asian languages were made. The conference schedule was busy. After the opening speeches, there were a number of general presentations on the Kartini Network, on the Gender Center of Dalian University, on regional feminist networking and on various national experiences of women’s studies (Korea, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh and the Philippines). The five conference panels each had a keynote speech and then broke out into sessions. An interesting feature of the conference was the opportunities it offered to scholars and activists from different Asian countries to get to know China a bit better not only because of the presentations but also because of the visit to Hou Shi village and Dalian city. Another exciting experience was the Open Forum on 23 September in which participants shared their views on the future of women’s studies in the light of the intersectionalities with relations of class, ethnicity and other markers of oppression.
Journal of Asian and African Studies, Jan 12, 2023
The number of women parliamentarians in Myanmar increased during the last decade of democratizati... more The number of women parliamentarians in Myanmar increased during the last decade of democratization before the February 2021 coup d'état yet remained extremely low at about 15% of parliament in the 2020 election. This paper uses the concept of political pathway to explore barriers and opportunities that women parliamentarians experienced along their life course. It does so through in-depth interviews conducted in early 2020 with 20 women and 10 men parliamentarians elected in the 2015 general election. Results suggest that women tend to take distinct pathways from men and face specific opportunities and barriers through supply-driven factors such as parental socialization, experience of national crises, available peer networks, acquired professional experiences, and available family support, and through a main demand-driven factor in party recruitment and politics. This informs recommendations in the conclusion in terms of increasing resources and support available to women and addressing discrimination by political parties.
This article focuses on the borderland of Thailand with Myanmar and analyzes how Burmese women mi... more This article focuses on the borderland of Thailand with Myanmar and analyzes how Burmese women migrant workers are both victimized – Agamben’s homo sacer – by the exceptional space of the borderland, but also are able to actively utilize the opportunities afforded by the particular space of the border to juggle their responsibilities and life options. The article focuses on how women migrant workers arrange their healthcare, childcare and children’s education at the borderland of Mae Sot and in the centerland of Bangkok, and analyzes how they use the opportunities available at the border to manage these tasks. At the same time, the borderland leaves women with very weak protection against violence, cut off from their communities of origin, which offer both protection and control. Although borderlands can provide space for alternatives, this exceptional space compounded with a strict gender regime can pose serious restrictions on women’s agency.
This article identifies key priorities and challenges that lie in the path of achieving gender eq... more This article identifies key priorities and challenges that lie in the path of achieving gender equality targets, particularly in the high-poverty and increasingly resource-scarce context of Southeast Asian fisheries.
The first international conference of the Kartini Network for Women’s/ Gender Studies entitled ‘A... more The first international conference of the Kartini Network for Women’s/ Gender Studies entitled ‘Asian Women’s/Gender Studies and Education Practice in the New Millennium’ was held in Dalian, China from 21 to 24 September 2004. The conference was hosted by the Center for Gender Studies, Dalian University and funded by Oxfam, Hong Kong, Hivos, Misereor, the Ford Foundation and the Higher Board for Christian Education in Hong Kong. The conference had five themes: women’s studies, religious fundamentalisms, conflict resolution, sexual rights and globalization, and economic reforms. The conference was attended by over 130 participants from 20 countries. Around half of the participants were from China. The conference was bilingual in English and Chinese, though in practice, translations to and from various Asian languages were made. The conference schedule was busy. After the opening speeches, there were a number of general presentations on the Kartini Network, on the Gender Center of Dalian University, on regional feminist networking and on various national experiences of women’s studies (Korea, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh and the Philippines). The five conference panels each had a keynote speech and then broke out into sessions. An interesting feature of the conference was the opportunities it offered to scholars and activists from different Asian countries to get to know China a bit better not only because of the presentations but also because of the visit to Hou Shi village and Dalian city. Another exciting experience was the Open Forum on 23 September in which participants shared their views on the future of women’s studies in the light of the intersectionalities with relations of class, ethnicity and other markers of oppression.
Journal of Asian and African Studies, Jan 12, 2023
The number of women parliamentarians in Myanmar increased during the last decade of democratizati... more The number of women parliamentarians in Myanmar increased during the last decade of democratization before the February 2021 coup d'état yet remained extremely low at about 15% of parliament in the 2020 election. This paper uses the concept of political pathway to explore barriers and opportunities that women parliamentarians experienced along their life course. It does so through in-depth interviews conducted in early 2020 with 20 women and 10 men parliamentarians elected in the 2015 general election. Results suggest that women tend to take distinct pathways from men and face specific opportunities and barriers through supply-driven factors such as parental socialization, experience of national crises, available peer networks, acquired professional experiences, and available family support, and through a main demand-driven factor in party recruitment and politics. This informs recommendations in the conclusion in terms of increasing resources and support available to women and addressing discrimination by political parties.
This article focuses on the borderland of Thailand with Myanmar and analyzes how Burmese women mi... more This article focuses on the borderland of Thailand with Myanmar and analyzes how Burmese women migrant workers are both victimized – Agamben’s homo sacer – by the exceptional space of the borderland, but also are able to actively utilize the opportunities afforded by the particular space of the border to juggle their responsibilities and life options. The article focuses on how women migrant workers arrange their healthcare, childcare and children’s education at the borderland of Mae Sot and in the centerland of Bangkok, and analyzes how they use the opportunities available at the border to manage these tasks. At the same time, the borderland leaves women with very weak protection against violence, cut off from their communities of origin, which offer both protection and control. Although borderlands can provide space for alternatives, this exceptional space compounded with a strict gender regime can pose serious restrictions on women’s agency.
The Philippines Conditional Cash Transfer or 4ps provides conditional cash grant to poor househol... more The Philippines Conditional Cash Transfer or 4ps provides conditional cash grant to poor households with the aim of investing on children’s education and health to cut the intergerational poverty. The fisheries, being one of the sector on which poverty predominates is one of the beneficiaries. Anchoring on the issue on conditionalities of Conditional Cash Transfer or 4ps in the Philippines, this paper probes what transpired to the gender roles and relations in the context-specific household of a fishing community before and after they participated in the program. Through the qualitative and quantitative data gathered, the responses of the husband and wife were treated as separate response in order to assess and analyze the agreement and difference in their responses. What has been found is that husband and wife’s differing perception on contribution and entitlement has an accompanying effect in gender roles and relations.
This Special Issue of Asian Fisheries Science journal includes a comprehensive outlook Guest Edit... more This Special Issue of Asian Fisheries Science journal includes a comprehensive outlook Guest Editorial and 12 papers and a report based on the presentations and posters of the 5th Global Symposium on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (GAF5) held during the 10th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, November 2014, Lucknow, India.
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Papers by Kyoko Kusakabe
Keywords: Conditional Cash Transfer, Conditionalities, Gender Roles, Gender Relations, Fishing Community