This article studies a specific form of transnational living that results from Thai–Western cross-border marriage migration: Thai women's experiences of intercultural partnerships with a Western man. The study is explicitly from a Thai female partner's perspective. It unpacks women's experiences and perceptions of living this life from their own accounts. We refer to their experiences and perceptions of living this form of transnational life as unintended transnationalism, that is, that living a life defined by dependent gendered intercultural exchanges with a foreign man was a by-product, not an aspiration of her strategy for a better life. Living ‘unintended transnationalism’ refers to how women negotiate the specific high challenges and sociocultural pressures arising from dependency on a foreign man, who largely decides where, when and how you live. Women face strong acculturation pressures to adapt to their husbands' Western cultural needs, on his terms, even when they share a home in Thailand—a process we define as imported assimilationism. The study shows how her experiences of transnational living are importantly shaped by her: access to rights, cultural differences with her partner, and positioning in social space and place in Thailand, over this life journey. It draws from 20 biographical interviews with women in partnerships (between 7 and 30 years) with Westerners, currently resident in Thailand. Overall, we find that living ‘unintended transnationalism’ is a challenging life, even for women who make significant material gains. It can lead to isolation, dissociation from family, and dissimilation from belonging in Thailand.

中文翻译：

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“无意识的跨国主义”：与西方男性结伴的泰国女性的挑战性生活

本文研究了泰西跨国婚姻移民导致的一种特定形式的跨国生活：泰国女性与西方男性的跨文化伙伴关系的经历。该研究明确是从泰国女性伴侣的角度进行的。它从她们自己的叙述中解开女性对生活的体验和看法。我们将他们过着这种跨国生活形式的经历和看法称为无意识的跨国主义，也就是说，过着与外国男人的依赖性别跨文化交流所定义的生活是副产品，而不是她对更美好生活的战略的渴望。生活在“无意识的跨国主义”中是指女性如何应对因依赖外国男性而产生的特定高挑战和社会文化压力，而外国男性在很大程度上决定了您的生活地点、时间和方式。妇女面临强大的文化适应压力，以适应丈夫的西方文化需求，即使她们在泰国合住一个家——我们将这一过程定义为进口同化主义. 该研究显示了她的跨国生活经历如何受到她的重要影响：在此人生旅程中，获得权利、与伴侣的文化差异以及在泰国的社会空间和场所中的定位。它来自对与目前居住在泰国的西方人有合作关系（7 至 30 岁）的女性的 20 次传记访谈。总体而言，我们发现过着“无意识的跨国主义”是一种具有挑战性的生活，即使对于获得重大物质利益的女性也是如此。它可能导致孤立、与家人分离以及与泰国的归属感分离。