The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand

The invention of local identities is becoming an important issue in many parts of the world. Depending on the given circumstances, localism can turn violent as separatist movements, ethnic rioting, civil war, unrest or other forms. However in Thailand we can notice a different pattern: the creation...

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Main Author:	Korff, Rudiger
Format:	Article
Published:	Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1999
Online Access:	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4176/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4176/

id	ukm-4176
recordtype	eprints
spelling	ukm-41762012-05-23T07:35:21Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4176/ The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand Korff, Rudiger The invention of local identities is becoming an important issue in many parts of the world. Depending on the given circumstances, localism can turn violent as separatist movements, ethnic rioting, civil war, unrest or other forms. However in Thailand we can notice a different pattern: the creation of local traditions is a crucial aspect of national integration beyond Bangkok. In this article, the city of Korat in Northeast Thailand is taken as a case study, to indicate how local identities are formed through the revitalization of local traditions and customs. Korat turned into a boom town with increased global integration during the late eighties. This in turn made the region attractive for Bangkok-based strategic groups. To be able to compete with this, the local elite had to achieve social cohesion, which was based on local identity. Surprising as it may seem, the case of Korat indicates that globalisation of the political system in Thailand, this local identity becomes the basis for real national integration. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 1999-07 Article PeerReviewed Korff, Rudiger (1999) The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand. AKADEMIKA, 55 . pp. 167-182. ISSN 0126-5008 http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/penerbit/jdem55-08.html
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia
building	UKM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
description	The invention of local identities is becoming an important issue in many parts of the world. Depending on the given circumstances, localism can turn violent as separatist movements, ethnic rioting, civil war, unrest or other forms. However in Thailand we can notice a different pattern: the creation of local traditions is a crucial aspect of national integration beyond Bangkok. In this article, the city of Korat in Northeast Thailand is taken as a case study, to indicate how local identities are formed through the revitalization of local traditions and customs. Korat turned into a boom town with increased global integration during the late eighties. This in turn made the region attractive for Bangkok-based strategic groups. To be able to compete with this, the local elite had to achieve social cohesion, which was based on local identity. Surprising as it may seem, the case of Korat indicates that globalisation of the political system in Thailand, this local identity becomes the basis for real national integration.
format	Article
author	Korff, Rudiger
spellingShingle	Korff, Rudiger The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
author_facet	Korff, Rudiger
author_sort	Korff, Rudiger
title	The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
title_short	The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
title_full	The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
title_fullStr	The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
title_full_unstemmed	The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand
title_sort	construction of local identities in korat, thailand
publisher	Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate	1999
url	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4176/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4176/
first_indexed	2023-09-18T19:40:49Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T19:40:49Z
_version_	1777405577993912320

The construction of local identities in Korat, Thailand

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