Reconfiguring Karen Social and Geo-Political Alignment
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University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2008 Creating Marginality And Reconstructing Narrative: Reconfiguring Karen Social And Geo-political Alignment Barbara Verchot University of Central Florida Part of the Political History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Verchot, Barbara, "Creating Marginality And Reconstructing Narrative: Reconfiguring Karen Social And Geo-political Alignment" (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 3660. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/3660 CREATING MARGINALITY AND RECONSTRUCTING NARRATIVE: RECONFIGURING KAREN SOCIAL AND GEO-POLITICAL ALIGNMENT by BARBARA ESTELLE VERCHOT B.S. University of Central Florida, 1991 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2008 © 2008 Barbara Estelle Verchot ii ABSTRACT Pre-modern conceptualization of shifting borderlands and territories rather than fixed boundaries often allowed for the dynamic flow of peoples between polities. Until the late 1800s and the colonization of Burma in 1886 by the British Empire, this permeability of the borders of its territory was how Siam (currently Thailand) viewed its geo-political sphere (Thomson 1995:272). Britain extended the boundaries of its empire beyond India to guarantee the economic interests of the British Empire. With this push eastward, Siam abutted a polity that rejected the idea of shifting borderlands. The British ascribed to the modern concept of non-permeability of borders. This concept brought with it a rigidity of perception that extended beyond geographical frameworks to also psychologically limit the interpersonal connections of Siam’s multi-ethnic minority populations and the Tai ethnic majority (Keyes 1979:54, Marlowe 1979:203, Thomson 1995:281). Ancient residents of what was once the borderland area, the Karen, lost their status as a valuable part of a symbiotic relationship with the dominant Thai polity and were placed within a discourse of opposing binary factions. The Karen, once respected as stewards of the remote forestlands, became part of a larger group of peoples all of which have been labeled as the “hill tribes” (Trakarnsuphakorn 1997:218). This paper addresses how globalization and these social and political changes have resulted in marginalizing a group of diverse peoples who are now viewed as a threat to the security of the nation-states in which they reside. The discussion continues with a look at how the narrative about the Karen has changed and introduces a proposal for constructing a new empowering for the Karen. iii This work is dedicated to the Karen people, keepers of the Wild for the Sown, who dare to continue to dream of their rightful place in the world. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Allyn MacLean Stearman, my committee chair and advisor. She is an excellent and thorough ethnographic writer. Her input and guidance has proven to be extremely valuable. I also would like to acknowledge Dr. Dwight Kiel and Dr. Ty Matejowsky who served on my thesis committee. Dr. Kiel’s political science expertise was extremely important for this topic. As an Asianist who focuses on issues of globalization in the Philippines, Dr. Matejowsky’s input was also very necessary. Many hours were spent by these dedicated scholars in helping to bring this body of research into its final form. I am grateful for all the assistance that they have so willingly given. I would also like to thank my loving husband, Keith Ray, for allowing me the time and finances to follow my dreams and accomplish my goals. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................viii CHAPTER ONE: GLOBALIZATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ......................................... 1 Colonialism and Globalization ................................................................................................... 1 Borderlines and Borderlands....................................................................................................... 6 Marginality................................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER TWO: A NEW GEOGRAPHIC DISCOURSE ......................................................... 19 Geography of the Thai/Burmese Borderland Region ............................................................... 19 Boundaries, Space and Political Structure................................................................................ 20 The “Sown” and the “Wild” ..................................................................................................... 24 Karen Identity ........................................................................................................................... 26 Karen and the Hill Tribes.......................................................................................................... 27 Karen Presence in the Lowlands and Valleys........................................................................... 29 Colonial Influence and Bounded Territory............................................................................... 32 CHAPTER THREE: THE KAREN IN SOUTHEAST ASIA...................................................... 37 A Short History......................................................................................................................... 37 Early Migration......................................................................................................................... 37 The Karen in Siam .................................................................................................................... 42 The Construction of “Otherness”.............................................................................................. 44 CHAPTER FOUR: THE STATE OF THE KAREN IN THE 21ST CENTURY.......................... 49 The Technology of Mapping: Alienation from the Web of Life .............................................. 49 A Shift in Nomenclature ........................................................................................................... 51 vi Religion in State-Building ........................................................................................................ 53 Globalization and the Contemporary Discourse on the Thai/Burmese Borderland ................. 56 Karen and the Mapping of the Forest ....................................................................................... 58 Thailand .................................................................................................................................... 59 Burma........................................................................................................................................ 63 Ecological Issues and the Karen as the Other........................................................................... 65 The Karen Within the Thai Geo-body ...................................................................................... 66 The Karen Within the Burmese Geo-body ............................................................................... 68 CHAPTER FIVE: NAVIGATING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES: CHARTING THE COURSE FOR THE KAREN OF THE THAI-BURMESE BORDERLAND ............................................. 72 Cultural Narrative ..................................................................................................................... 72 The Mashpee Trial .................................................................................................................... 74 Constructing Narrative.............................................................................................................. 75 The Zapotec: A Contemporary Success Story.......................................................................... 77 The Karen: The Same but Different.......................................................................................... 78 Nature Conservation: A Universalistic Value........................................................................... 81 Karen Crafts – The Universal Language of Art........................................................................ 93 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 96 LIST OF REFERENCES.............................................................................................................. 98 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Map of Southeast Asia (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world- factbook/reference_maps/southeast_asia.html) .................................................................... 17 Figure 2 Map of Thailand and borderland area (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the- world-factbook/reference_maps/southeast_asia.html).......................................................... 18 Figure 3 Style of swidden field used for dry rice cultivation. Chiang Rai Province, Thailand