Militarization and the Role of Military Attaché Wives in Supporting Thai’s Defence Diplomacy
Keywords:
Defence Diplomacy, militarization, feminization, housewifization, military attaché wivesAbstract
This qualitative research examines and analyzes the role of military attaché wives in supporting Thailand's preventive diplomacy policy. The study employed in-depth interviews with 15 military attaché wives and document analysis. The research objectives were to: (1) explore the roles and functions of military attaché wives in both formal and informal diplomatic activities; (2) analyze how wives participate in social networking and support military operations; and (3) examine the impacts of these roles on their personal and family lives.
The research findings reveal significant dynamics of militarization processes in the context of Thailand's preventive diplomacy, which have dissolved the boundaries between operational spaces (public sphere) and family or personal life (private sphere) through two interconnected mechanisms: feminization and housewifization. In the dimension of feminization, wives are deployed to promote and support soft power in preventive diplomacy through social and cultural skills defined as feminine attributes, such as creating friendly atmospheres, cross-cultural communication, and serving as cultural ambassadors in public spaces. Simultaneously, in the dimension of housewifization, wives' caregiving roles are extended from their families to encompass diverse groups of military personnel, including military attaché husbands, government officials visiting from abroad, and exchange military cadets. Additionally, they manage their homes as informal diplomatic spaces.
The convergence of these two processes creates what may be termed "gendered-domestic diplomacy," which transforms skills and labor categorized as "women's work" and "housework" into strategic tools supporting state security policy. However, the expansion of these roles results in loss of personal freedom, increased physical and emotional labor burdens, and lack of formal recognition, despite wives' significant contributions to the success of preventive diplomacy policy.
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