Civility and Savagery

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Focusing on social differentiation in a complex ethnically diverse region, the book explores cultural pluralism, nationalism, and ethnic dispersal within the Tai-speaking areas of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos, and parts of Burma, China, Vietnam, and Malaysia. It examines the mutual representations between Tai and non-Tai peoples, highlighting their interactions within various political contexts. The historical analysis encompasses contemporary policy debates on minority rights, informed by colonial and pre-colonial histories.