Caught in the Crossfire: Thai Military Women's Mediated Lived Experience and Self-Representation
In this talk, Dr. Chanapang ‘Natty’ Pongpiboonkiat explores how women military personnel in the Royal Thai Armed Forces construct their identities and represent themselves through social media, highlighting how their lives and who they become are shaped by the complex intersection of military/militarisation, media, and gender practices. Through original empirical research, as well as personal reflections from her own military background, Dr. Pongpiboonkiat offers an in-depth examination of the challenges and negotiations women military personnel face in Thailand face as they establish spaces for self-expression within a traditionally patriarchal and militarised context.
Despite the significant role of the military in Thailand, scholarly research on women military personnel in the country is limited. Dr. Pongpiboonkiat's work addresses this gap, allowing for the voices and experiences of women military personnel to be heard and recognised. Methodologically, she draws on qualitative approaches to uncover how women in the Thai military manage identity work and navigate representation, both within the military and vis-á-vis the broader public. Theoretically, her work contributes to broader discussions in feminist International Relations (IR) and gender and militarism in Southeast Asia by providing evidence-based insights into entrenched gender barriers and opportunities for integration.
Speaker & chair biographies
Dr. Chanapang ‘Natty’ Pongpiboonkiat is a feminist media scholar specialising in the digital self-representation of military and militarised women in Thailand, gendered identities in online spaces, and the rise of military influencer culture in Thailand. Her research illuminates how women navigate, contest, and transform traditional and digital narratives within militarised environments, enriching regional conversations on gender, media, and militarism. With over a decade’s experience in military media operations, corporate communications, publishing, and content creation in Thailand, she blends scholarly insight with practical expertise.
Dr. Pongpiboonkiat is currently a Teaching Fellow at the School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds, where she received both her PhD and MA degrees. She earned her BA from the Faculty of Communication Arts at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Prof. John Sidel is Director of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre, and the Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Dr. Petra Alderman is Manager of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre and researcher with a notable country expertise on Thailand. She is the author of Branding Authoritarian Nations: Political Legitimation and Strategic National Myths in Military-Ruled Thailand (Routledge, 2023) and of articles in various disciplinary and area studies journals such as International Political Science Review, Geopolitics, Politics, and the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs.
*Banner photo by Filip Andrejevic on Unsplash
LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.