การกลายเป็นละว้าของชาวว้าอพยพในภาคเหนือของประเทศไทย

Abstract

This thesis aims to study the identity that being construct as a way to negotiate with the Thai state from the Wa immigrants in northern Thailand. This study employed multi-sited ethnographic study methods that cover three provinces including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Maehongson, and through the non-physical space like the study also looks at the network of Wa immigrants that was established as an ethnic association entitles "'the Lawa association in Thailand". This research applies three concepts including "Ethnic Identity in constructivist paradigm", "Becoming" and "'Social and Cultural Capital". There are three questions that this research addresses including 1) How do the Wa immigrant in Thailand construct new identity to tackle their stigmatized identity? 2) How the Wa utilized social and cultural capital in the process of identity construction? 3) How the connection between the Wa immigrant to Thailand's indigenous Lua has transformed the meaning of stigmatized Wa in Thailand? The Wa immigrants who now living in Thailand could be divided into two groups including 1) the Wa immigrant that came to Thailand during the cold war period (the 1950s - 1980s) and helps the Thai state suppress and prevent communist in Thailand. This group I would call "the first group" 2) the Wa immigrants who came to Thailand after 1999 when the "the southern Wa state" was established which create new Wa controlled territory located between Thailand and Myanmar border. This new territory became the important factor that led to new Wa immigrants moving to Thailand and also create "Wa Deng" which is the stigmatized identity that perceived the Wa as a drug manufacturer, therefore seen by the Thai state and media as a national security threat. This group I termed "the second group" Around 1999 when the Wa identity was perceived as a threat to Thailand's national security, the Wa immigrant especially the first group started to effect from stigmatized identity and respond by creating the whole new identity called "Lawa". In the process of creating a new identity which could be seen as de-territorialized and re-territorialized stigmatized Wa identity has created new social and cultural capital for the Wa immigrant who now lives in Thailand to be able to align themselves with Thailand imagined community.