I want to start this post with a moment of gratitude for my younger sister, who gave me her Kindle before I left. It has gotten me through unbearable hot days and provided more entertainment that I could have asked for. Thank you, Katie. And with that, I would like to review some books that I read after moving to site that give some insight into Thailand.
The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History to Upland Southeast Asia by James C. Scott
This book is not specifically about Thailand, but about the early history of the southeast-Asian massif, specifically about the people who live in the hills (often referred to as “hill tribes” these days.) Scott reevaluates the dominant narrative of the areas history that the hill people are “savages” that were lured by civilization and joined the various kingdoms. Instead, he shows, that more often the flow of people went in both directions at varying rates throughout history.
Most wars in the area were not for land and territory but for slaves and labor. To avoid being a slave to the conquering army, it was much easier to move to the hills and adapt living to that environment. It is important to remember that the time frame that Scott is writing about is 1) before the 1950s and 2) before every area of land was mapped and made a part of a state.
He also occasionally extrapolates this theory to other areas of the world where there is a “friction of terrain,” or the landscape makes moving armies through to conquer much to difficult, such as the Caucuses and the desert in the Arabian peninsula. He explores how the ways that the people in the hills sustain themselves, relate to other people, keep (or don’t) their history are all forms of evading state control rather than a “more primitive” way of living.
I enjoyed this book. It got repetitive at points, but I think that just went to further prove the point that Scott was trying to make. It definitely gave me a new perspective on histories of places throughout the world and caused me to rethink some of my ideas about Southeast Asia as well. I saw this book at Powell’s before I left Portland when I was looking for a book to try to inspire some interest in an area that I have never really been interested in before. This book definitely sparked that interest and I learned a lot. I find the argument Scott made very compelling and knowing that history is often written by the dominant class, I’m inclined to take it with less than a grain of salt. I think it also gave me a good lens to view the dominant history through.
Revolution Interrupted: Farmers, Students, Law and Violence in Northern Thailand by Tyrell Haberkorn
This book is about the Farmer’s Uprising in Northern Thailand during the mid-1970s. Haberkorn did extensive research and interviews with people who were involved with the students and farmers groups then. Most of the people living in rural Thailand at the time were farmers and most farmers did not own the land that they farmed. Most rented the land that they worked and most landlords required payment before the growing season and rates were very high.
The farmers then mobilized to work through the government and legal system to remedy the problems they identified to work around. Student groups formed and worked in solidarity with the farmers as well as demonstrating in the streets (a couple of which ended very violently.) The government did make some reforms, but a number of the farmers who were main organizers and leaders disappeared. There has never been any investigation into their disappearances.
I really like this book. This book gave me a better sense of how rural life in Thailand works, even if it is mainly about the system from 40 years ago. It gave me a glimpse of how complicated farming is here in Thailand, especially if they don’t own the land that they work. Haberkorn also makes time to explore why the methods that the farmers used was revolutionary in itself: that by working in a political arena which was perceived as being to complicated and closed to farmers, the farmers were able to assert the fact that they too are citizens and entitled to have the law and government work for them too.
Thailand’s Political Peasants: Power in the Modern Rural Economy by Andrew Walker
This book kind of picks up where Haberkorn left off, but in the modern era. Most Thai farmers now are no longer poor but have moved into the burgeoning middle class. Walker focuses his attention on a village in northern Thailand, outside of Chiang Mai. In his book he also explores some of the cultural differences that most Westerners would not be familiar with, such as offerings to the spirits and the spirits’ matrilineal heritage, he talks about saving face a bit and the importance of honor and relationships. He explores how former Prime Minister Thaksin made more money available to rural people and how that has reverberated through politics today. (The current Prime Minister, Yingluck, is his sister.) He talks to many different people in the village that he focused on and tells many of their different stories.
I liked this book because it gave me a great modern lens to view Thailand through. I think what was most eye-opening for me was to read about the ways that money is handled here that I think most Westerners would call corrupt. The people he interviews stop short of using that word, but definitely call into question some practices. I was able to glean more insight into the culture that I am a part of on a daily basis and helped to make some sense of the things that happen around me. I think that because I do not have the language skills to have those kinds of conversations, it made it hard for me to think about those kinds of interactions before. But it definitely makes sense, seeing how things happen here.
I would definitely recommend these books to anyone looking to gain some more insight into the culture of Thailand and how things work here. I know that most foreigners who come to Thailand, and even those who stay for decades, often do not have much interest in this part of the country and its history, but I would definitely urge them to read these books as well. It definitely gives a different perspective to a country that is often seen as pristine beaches, beautiful mountains, interesting cultures and Bangkok.