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Speaking in Thai, Dreaming in Isan

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Speaking in Thai, Dreaming in Isan Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses: Doctorates and Masters Theses 2011 Speaking in Thai, dreaming in Isan: Popular Thai television and emerging identities of Lao Isan youth living in northeast Thailand Catherine Hesse-Swain Edith Cowan University Recommended Citation Hesse-Swain, C. (2011). Speaking in Thai, dreaming in Isan: Popular Thai television and emerging identities of Lao Isan youth living in northeast Thailand. Retrieved from https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/399 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/399 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Speaking in Thai, dreaming in Isan: Popular Thai television and emerging identities of Lao Isan youth living in northeast Thailand Catherine Hesse-Swain Bachelor of Arts (English/History), Honours English, University of Western Australia Graduate Diploma of English in Journalism, Curtin University of Technology Postgraduate Diploma of Social Science in Development Studies, Edith Cowan University A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy (Development Studies) School of Psychology and Social Science Faculty of Computing, Health and Science Edith Cowan University Perth, Western Australia October 2011 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. ABSTRACT This is an ethnographic study of how Lao Isan youth living in the northeastern provincial capital Khon Kaen and nearby town Mahasarakham experience Thainess or khwampenthai in its most popular form – television. People who inhabit the northeast of Thailand interchangeably label themselves and are labelled by others as Isan, Thai Isan, Lao Isan, Thai or Lao, depending on the ethnic, political, social or familial nuances of any given situation. I use the term Lao Isan to refer specifically to Isan people of Lao origin or ethnicity. Lao Isan are subject to complex and often competing notions of Isanness, Laoness and Thainess by insiders and outsiders. Using data derived from a 2002 ethnographic study of the responses of Lao Isan youth (aged 17 to 25) to their favourite Thai television programs, this thesis explores contemporary and co-existing interpretations of Isan identity or khwampenisan among Lao Isan youth in relation to historical context and processes of identity formation. The people of northeast Thailand, or Khon Isan, are confronted daily with ambiguities gravitating around the perceived multiplicity of their identity, particularly Thai identity and Lao (Isan) identity. Political, social and cultural constructs of identity are continually contested. Collective themes and understandings of Lao Isan identity are represented and constituted by outsiders and insiders whose views melt into and across cultural borders. Some of these constructions highlight the exclusivity of Isan identity – a tight geographical space that is no longer Lao but Thai Isan within the larger Thai nation state. Others ignore geographical boundaries and explore Lao Isan identity within a more open cultural space that encompasses both northeast Thailand and Laos. Informing these constructions are overlapping and often conflicting views on Thai-Lao historiography, Lao Isan indigenous studies, and the influence of popular culture. Given the fluidity and plurality of cultural representation in Isan and assumptions made by experts about the role of mass media in deconstructing cultural integrity, I asked the questions: What do Lao Isan youth make of their own identity? Is there really such a thing as Laoness or Isanness? What do these labels represent? My study of the personal responses of Lao Isan youth to television produced in Thailand, attempts to unravel more 3 about the everyday notions, sense-making and rituals that contribute to their evolving identity formation. The data presented in this thesis is based on: small focus group sessions conducted with the same groups over a period of one year; in-depth interviews with focus group participants, parents and grandparents; participant observation; interviews with Isan scholars; and textual discourse analyses. Focus group participants came from provinces throughout the Isan region, as well as from both village and urban settings. I investigated responses to popular Thai TV programs currently in favour with youth audiences (i.e. soap operas, comedy, music and game shows). Using these programs as a centre point, I worked to unravel the complex patterns of identity formation by which young Lao Isan people define their sense of self. Expressions of identity were gradually revealed as participants discussed their own personal stories, class and family backgrounds and life experiences in context with the themes and issues portrayed in the narratives of specific TV programs. Personal responses to programs opened up discussion on identity themes such as lifestyle, relationships, beliefs, values and aspirations within the milieu of daily life in a contemporary newly industrialised Thailand. This project is one of the first conducted in the Southeast Asian region to examine the role of mass media communications internally – that is, from one nation state to a specific resident ethnic group. Outcomes of the study suggest a more hybrid and relational approach to Isan identity would open up discourse and assist in dispelling accumulated clichéd constructs of Lao Isan, particularly in relation to how these are manufactured on Thai television. Increased understandings by Thai policy makers of how a sizeable stakeholder population of Lao Isan youth situate themselves within the Thai socio- political-cultural landscape may assist in policy development for youth programming in employment, training and social development in the wider context. This research into emergent culture also contributes to evolving theory within the contemporary paradigm of open cultural space, which flows out of post-modern discourse on culture, identity, nation state and ethnicity. 4 DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief: (i) incorporate without acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institution of higher education; (ii) contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text; or (iii) contain any defamatory material. I also grant permission for the Library at Edith Cowan University to make duplicate copies of my thesis as required. Signature: Date: 21 October 2011 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is not just about ideas, analyses and field work. It is about people, about some six years of building relationships with a range of diverse individuals and organisations who helped advise, nurture, support and grow my research into something far beyond the academic. I feel deeply grateful and indebted to the young people from diverse localities within the Isan region who participated energetically and openly within our focus groups; who shared intimate ideas and expressions of themselves and their hopes and aspirations. It was a leap of faith for many, who at first seemed bemused and amused by my interest in them (why does she want to know about us?!). Gradually as the months progressed these young people came out, often putting themselves on the line in front of their peers to express strong emotions about their sense of identity, about their position in the mainstream cultural world of Thailand and about their personal attitudes to the cultural norms of relationships and marriage. It was a subtle process of friendship and acknowledgement that we shared within their television viewing world, and ultimately it was about trust. Many of these younger friends invited me into their family homes and introduced me to their mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends. Their trust, generosity of spirit and hospitality enriched my research immeasurably as I gained access to the rituals of their daily lives and the more private inner world of family and relationships. Their shared selves are the very fabric of this thesis and I feel deep gratitude towards them all. None more so than my research assistant Kullakarn (Bim) Mamber (nee Chanakarn), whose role as key informant, interpreter and translator was fundamental to the success of the project. Bim’s infectious vitality and sharp-witted intellect made her a delightful co- traveller on this journey and a much-valued friend.
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