Mobility As Strategy to Cope with Resettlement: History of Mobility and Social Reproduction of Ethnic Groups in Northern Laos

Moving villages has been part of their life for many of the indigenous groups in Northern Laos. However, in the last few decades, such mobility patterns have changed since villages in the Northern Laos were targeted for resettlement to places near the road. Increasing economic concessions from cross-border investment has lead to rapid expansion of rubber plantation, restricting land and forest access of the ethnic people. With resettlement and changing livelihoods, which also lead to scattered social networks, indigenous women and men have to devise new ways of organizing their social reproduction. Women in these communities are burdened with the responsibilities to weather the changes associated with resettlement and keep the family going for day-to-day survival, but their support networks for childcare and other reproductive work might not be available as before with more women becoming busier and more mobile in order to gain cash income. Unlike childcare among urban workers and in industrialized countries, analysis on childcare in rural remote areas has been neglected. However, we noted that the changes in mobility patterns pose new challenges for childcare arrangement in these remote villages. Based on Cresswell’s (2010) notion of political dimension of mobility and following Kronlid (2008) in taking mobility as capability, this paper analyzes the link between gendered livelihoods and mobility patterns and how these affect social reproduction especially childcare.