Through Thick and Thin: Layers of Social Ties and Urban Settlement among Thai Migrants

Abstract

A unique longitudinal and prospective approach is used to analyze the social embeddedness of rural-urban Thai migrants and their subsequent migration. More than any one particular social tie, it is the configuration of social ties at multiple levels that influences whether migrants experience their destination as integrative and a place for settlement or not. Social ties at multiple levels and from multiple sources weave into a social fabric that surrounds migrants in destination contexts, shaping their migration trajectories. The findings show that urban-integrated migrants with diverse social support ties in the urban destination who reside in village enclaves and households that promote social adaptation and incorporation tend to be found again in urban destinations 6 years later. By comparison, semi-integrated and urban-isolated migrants whose social support ties, community structures, and households provide relatively weak links and support within the urban setting exhibit stronger tendencies to return to their villages of origin or to migrate onward from their initial destination. The findings suggest that migrants' mobility pathways-whether they settle in their current destination, return to their villages of origin, or make additional movements onward—depend on the organization of urban social relations and migrants' positions therein.