In this talk, anthropologist Hjorleifur Jonsson asks how ethnic minorities navigate being in a zone claimed by Thailand, Laos and China. Using ethnographic and archival evidence, Jonsson challenges the appealing but simple argument that upland Southeast Asia is a "zone of refuge" from the inequity and oppression of lowland states. He asks how these historical traditions facilitate complex and flexible relations between state and non-state authorities.
Thursday, April 6, 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Norlin Library, British and Irish Studies Room