本文旨在彌補過去台灣學界的東南亞跨國移工質性研究，具有「方法上的國族主義」問題，將研究焦點過度集中於移工在台灣情形，忽略他們的跨國移動，實與原鄉的社會文化高度相關。本文透過泰國東北地區的田野研究，分別從政治經濟、都會想像、地方社會文化等三個不同層次指出，泰國東北移工的跨國移動，除了巨觀政治經濟與主觀現代性想像影響外，實涉及泰國東北村落社會性別政治及遠行和作功德文化。從政治經濟出發，本文首先檢視泰國東北農村經濟背景，及國內外勞動移動歷史。其次，從都會想像出發，本文指出經濟動機外，都會農村間勞動移動，與現代性想像間的關係。但本文認為，無論是政治經濟客觀結構，抑或行動者主觀現代想像，都必須放在泰國東北鄉村社會文化脈絡中理解。在泰國東北農村，往都會地區工作的女性漸增，她們對家鄉性別規範及性控制的挑戰，在泰國東北農村引起憂慮。本文指出，在此背景下，泰國東北男性將跨國勞動移動獲得的金錢與經驗，透過地方社會文化，男性遠行正面經驗的論述，以及將金錢轉換化為功德的實踐，來證明自己身為男性的成功。換言之，政治經濟學對於金錢動機的假設，以及跨國都會現代性想像的實踐，實需透過跨國移工原鄉的性別政治與社會文化來理解。

Different from the existing studies about Southeast Asisan migrant workers in Taiwan with the problem of 'methodological nationalism', which mainly focus on their situation in Taiwan, this article aims at studying on the socio-culture of transnational migrant workers in their homeland. This article is based on fielwork in northeast Thailand. Analyzing from three different aspects, that is politico-economy, urban imagination, and local socio-culture, this article points out, besides macro politico-economy and subjective imagination of modernity, the trasnational migration is related with gender politics and making merit culture in northeastern Thai local society. First, from the view of politico-economy, this article discusses the economic background and the history of work migration in rural northeastern Thailand. Second, besides economic motivation, this article discusses the relationship between the imagination of modernity and the work migration from rural to urban areas. However, no matter objective politico-economy or subjective imagination, it should be understood under the context of northeastern Thai rural socio-culture. In northeastern Thailand, the increasing migration of women, challenges the gender norm and the problem of sexuality control of women in rural society. In this context, northeastern Thai men go abroad and use the expreiences and money they get there, to transfer them to the positive discourse of mobility and the religious merit. In this way, men workers reclaim their status in their home society. In other words, the assumption of economic motivation, or the urban imagination, should be considered in the context of gender politics and socio-culture in transnational migrant workers' home society.