Transnational women's networks : material and virtual spaces in Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta

• Main Author: Whitworth, Olivia Stephanie Sophia
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Birmingham 2016
• Subjects: HE Transportation and Communications; HQ The family. Marriage. Woman; HT Communities. Classes. Races; JA Political science (General); JQ Political institutions Asia

This research sought to examine the relationship between material and virtual space for Transnational Advocacy Network members in Manila, Bangkok and Jakarta. In the decade since the seminal work of Keck and Sikkink’s ‘Activists Beyond Borders’ there have been significant technological advancement and the ensuing literature has positively portrayed the possibilities for network members and other activists. Through extensive semi-structured interviews with members of Transnational Women’s Networks in Jakarta, Bangkok and Manila and thorough review of the literature it sought to establish the relationship between traditional, material spaces and emergent virtual spaces across four main themes; access to technology, relationships, freedom in virtual space and collective identity. These themes emerged from the fieldwork and presented themselves as trends within the literature which then led to their consideration within this research. This work argues that there is a continued relationship between material geography and virtual space and that an individual or groups physical location continues to have overriding implications on their online presence both in terms of their direct access, legislative obstacles and their perceptions of relationships and identity.