Returning empty-handed or going somewhere? Tales from social division networks of re-migrants in the polarized post-COVID-19 era: A phenomenological study

Abstract

This study poses the following questions: What are the reasons for cross-border re-migration? How are social division networks formed? We conducted a phenomenological study of social division networks for Laotian re-migrants in polarized post-COVID-19 Thailand. Chain referral sampling was used to recruit participants in 20 online semi-structured interviews, which were conducted from December 2021 to April 2022. Thematic saturation (codebook development, codebook refinement, code saturation, emerging themes, and confirming theory) was used to analyze the interview transcripts. Three themes emerged from the participants’ responses: the reasons for re-migration, the role of network capital, and social divisions of re-migrants in polarized post-COVID-19 Thailand. Our findings provide useful insights into the importance of group connections with strong supply network ties to promote transnational mobility; this facilitates the movement of cross-border re-migrants between home-sending and host-receiving countries.