Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Identity Pluralism and Social Status in Thailand

美国埃默里大学研究生Byungchu Dredge Kang将在Peter J. Brown博士的指导下，对政府政策、性别从众和污名化之间的关系进行研究。本研究的目的包括：1)儿童期阶级背景与性别从从性的关系；2)社会耻辱感与减少社会耻辱感的策略之间的关系。采用的方法包括参与观察日常生活中的工作，家庭和社会环境，延长生活史访谈，并分析公共话语（如媒体，政府文件）。这项研究将在泰国曼谷进行。本研究的结果将增进我们对社会歧视的理解，以及政府政策在减轻这种歧视方面的作用。这项研究将通过扩展对社会类别的文化建构的理解，以及将阶级分析纳入不经常考虑阶级的身份建构领域，为社会科学理论做出贡献。最后，对关系模式和耻辱的调查预计将提供有关疾病风险（包括艾滋病毒）的社会背景的关键信息。这项研究也将有助于社会科学家的教育。

Emory University graduate student, Byungchu Dredge Kang, with the guidance of Dr. Peter J. Brown, will undertake research on the relationship between government policy, gender conformity, and stigma. The aims of this study include investigation into: 1) the relationship between childhood class background and gender conformity; and 2) the relationship between social stigma and the strategies used to minimize social stigma. Methods to be employed include participant observation of everyday life in work, domestic, and social environments, extended life history interviews, and analysis of public discourse (e.g. media, government documents). The research will be conducted in Bangkok, Thailand.Findings of this study will improve our understanding of social discrimination and the role of government policy in mitigating such discrimination. The research will contribute to social science theory by extending understanding of the cultural construction of social categories and by incorporating class analysis into arenas of identity construction where class is not routinely considered. Finally, the investigation of relationship patterns and stigma is expected to provide critical information about the social contexts of disease risks, including HIV. The research also will contribute to the education of a social scientist.