New Mandala

From the agricultural cycle of the Pulangka Yao to military “confiscations” by the KMT
Douglas Miles ( CIU, Ascona; James Cook University, ex Tribal Research Centre, Chiang Mai)
Aiontay has made the briefest comment (comment 7, May 14, 2009) to date relating to my initial New Mandala post (May 5, 2009) and to subsequent exchanges with others who have [...]

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Image 1: Supplementary incising of a poppy capsule with a three-pronged scalpel. Yao who have worked elsewhere compare the intensity and delicacy of the task with embroidery.
Off-farm and Beyond Ockham in the Northern Thai Highlands: Further Philosophising on Opium, Overseas Aid and the Applied Anthropology of Tropical Agricultural Development
Douglas Miles (Anthropology, James Cook University, ex [...]

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The Karen of northern Thailand have attracted considerable ethnographic attention. In the past decade or so, this interest has heightened (particularly among Thai scholars) given that the Karen are seen as representing an ideal of social and ecological sustainability.
However, despite this considerable interest, there are few full-length English language studies of Karen communities. Much of the recent [...]

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At http://www.cesd-thai.info you can now download newspaper articles as well as pictures related to ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. The website also contains references to academic articles, an e-museum as well as conference and workshops announcements.
This database is the result of a 4-year collaboration between the Center of Ethnic Studies and Development (CESD), a research group [...]

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A recent report of people killed and injured by fireworks in northern Thailand reminded me to dig out some of the images I have of local fireworks in the northern Thai village of Baan Tiam. For some time (I am not sure how long) firework competitions have become a feature of loi krathong celebrations in Baan Tiam (and, [...]

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Here is a new publication on ethnic minorities in Vietnam:
Minorities At Large: Ethnic Minorities in Vietnam Beyond the State Frame
Special Issue of the Journal of Vietnamese Studies
Volume 3, Number 3, October 2008
Edited by Philip Taylor
Representing a new approach to ethnic minorities in Vietnam, these essays challenge the prevailing “carceral” conception of Vietnam’s minorities as territorially [...]

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It’s been longer than I hoped since the first post in my new “Anthroblog” series. I have been diverted by administrative tasks. But I’ve found some time to return to the task…
As I indicated in the first post, for the time being I am focussing on Baan Tiam’s history, and the various ways in which [...]

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In early 2003 there was a flurry of interest in history in Baan Tiam, a small village in northern Thailand. Partly this was a result of the newly elected headman’s interest in initiating new projects that would raise the profile and prestige of the village. There were also central government initiatives aimed at promoting local culture. I attended a long meeting at the [...]

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New Mandala is currently experimenting with ways of linking blogging with more conventional forms of academic writing. Earlier this week we launched Four Letter Words to encourage guest contributors to write short essays that reflect on their scholarship and experience in mainland Southeast Asia.
Today I am announcing another, much more self-centred, initiative. I want to attempt to [...]

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Those concerned about the decline of biodiversity in northern Thailand will be delighted to read that a particularly rare political specimen has been found – a PAD supporter in the north!
Chiang Mai – A woman turned up at the Doi Suthep Temple and made noise with a “hand clapper” to protest against visiting Prime Minister [...]

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