Living in the Border Areas of Thailand: Ethnic Minorities and Their Identities

Yekti Maunati (PSDR-LIPI Jakarta)

It is widely argued that cultural identity is constructed. In the context of construction, many experts argue that boundaries are equally constructed in which the use of certain markers of identity selected from groups’ cultures is subject to change. The markers of cultural identity may originate in a presumed distinctiveness of religion, language, and custom. However, overlapping may occur among different ethnic groups. In the grey areas where markers of identities overlap, the existence of cultural difference is particularly problematic. The construction of cultural identity is complex partly because it is a product of history. Cultural identity itself is changeable depending on the context and on the power and vested interests at play. In Thailand, many people who used to be included in the ethnic minorities have become Thai through a historical process. However, ethnic minorities are still in existence and mostly reside in the mountainous border areas. This paper will discuss certain issues: profile of ethnic minorities; the main livelihood of ethnic minorities; the movement of ethnic minorities in the border areas; and identity formation of ethnic minorities.