BANDONG, FRENCH B.

IHL and Peace Studies

AB Political Science 3A August 29, 2023

In the Abstractions of Theory: Rethinking the Practice of Political Science

In the second week of the Service-Learning Program of the Association of Jesuit

Colleges and Universities (AJCU), I followed the life of a Burmese migrant working in Chiang
Rai, Thailand. We visited the Aid Center for Migrant Workers, a Non-Government Organization
assisting Burmese migrants in navigating government labor policies, providing support for
domestic abuse, and assisting in translation of language in situations like criminal charges
against them. From there, I met Ruhmbeer who fled from the unstable political situation in
Myanmar. Burmese migrants are in the periphery of mainstream Thai society. They are often
victims of human trafficking, labor exploitation being granted pay lower than the minimum
wage, and workplace discrimination. There is a sense of familiarity from the situations as some
were inherently present to our country but also because I study these situations from my courses.

It was particularly disturbing however that my first instinctive response was to look at
these issues in the lens of national security. I found myself justifying these issues with theoretical
application on why systematically this occurs as a result of countries wanting to deflect from
displacement issues, and why it is in their interest for various economic, sociocultural issues.

Seeing it first hand how they have found that their only means of survival lies in
supporting one another, it came to me how the inherency of human rights is downgraded because
no entity is able to facilitate it for them. Ruhmbeer like many other migrants in refugee camps in
the borders of Mainland Southeast Asia are granted very little agency in living their lives, too far
in comparison to what majority of us have been enjoying.

While Thailand signed treaties such as the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the
imposition of these treaties can be a challenge especially with these conventions being on par
with other treaties that may be in subtle conflict with each other. For instance, the refugee
situation and how states in Southeast Asia respond to it may be in violation of the
Non-intervention principle of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Their displacement is
one of things they are not in control with, but they are faced with extreme isolation with the
dehumanizing condition of not being granted anything by anyone. The situation they are in is the
field I am supposed to specialize in, yet I was in a position of helplessness.

When we are expected to be the frontline of political reform, it's imperative that in a
deeply structural system we study, we must question whether the perspective that governs how
we perceive society is a perspective that humanizes. The significance of our idealism is not
defined by the scale of it but the relevance it posits to real human beings in real life-threatening
situations.

We ought to be reminded that solidarity is learned not just through concepts but rather
contact. Border and conflict was just a concept to me before coming to Thailand. Now, it has
faces. It’s materialized by the lived experiences we get to journey with. To be humane in the
complexity of our concepts is what makes us political scientists. We are not just theorists, we
integrate ourselves with the concepts that make us human.