SEA Junction, in partnership with the Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR) and the Mahidol Migration Center, hosted a Wednesday SEA Mobilities seminar on 26 April 2023 featuring a discussion of the new book African Migration to Thailand: Race, Mobility and Integration. The event brought attention to a rarely examined dimension of Thailand’s migration landscape—the growing presence of migrants from African countries.

Based on exploratory ethnographic research, the book documents the experiences of African migrants navigating life in a society with limited exposure to African communities. Contributors examine both forced migrants, including Somali asylum seekers, and labor migrants who work in sectors such as gem trading, garment wholesale, and football. The volume also introduces analytical frameworks—such as precarity, human security, in/visibility, and othering—to better understand discrimination and the challenges of integration, while situating these issues within Thailand’s broader migration policy context.

The seminar featured Supang Chantavanich, Naruemon Thabchumpon, Kasit Piromya, and Anthony Ukam Unor, with Associate Professor Rosalia Sciortino moderating a discussion on key findings and recent developments in African migration to Thailand.

More information from SEA Junction, click here. 

The full video of the event is embedded below for viewing, or click here to watch it on the SEA Junction YouTube channel.