- 期刊
文明與野蠻的地理性因素：泰國官方論述中的「山民」
The Geographical Factors of Civility and Savagery: Thailand's Official Discourses of "Hill Tribes"
摘要
本文爬梳泰國「山民」概念產生的脈絡，從前現代國家形成的時期，到19世紀末20世紀初的現代化時期，乃至當代論述中的「山民」。本文舉出在前現代時期國家形成與鞏固之時，「山民」指涉國家之外的高地群體。到19世紀末20世紀初泰國轉型為現代民族國家之時，「山民」等同於無法被馴化的，並居住在未開化高地空間的野人。二次大戰之後，「山民」被視為國家領土的入侵者、自然資源的濫用者，並為國家帶來一連串的安全威脅。在「民族國家」成為慣性用法的時代，從前現代時期探討泰國「山民」論述的演變，指出在現代國家之前，沒有現代國家所具有的地域統治，以及排他的主權和族群性。「山民」的地理性涵義在前現代時期「國家」形成之際產生邊緣性指涉，並逐漸產生文明與野蠻的二元性對立，但高地與低地的關係從共存、對立，到低地政府試圖控制，甚至驅趕與摧毀高地族群。雖然「山民」始終具有邊緣性，但高地與低地的關係從現代化泰國誕生之際，隨著民族主義意識形態的發展，使「山民」文化上的不同被政治化為族群認同而變得更加不平等。泰國「山民」論述的演變提供一個重新思考「民族國家」合理性的案例。
並列摘要
This study provides a chronology of the discourses of "hill tribes" or the "mountain peoples" of Thailand. The discourses of "hill tribes" were examined from pre-modern period to the turn of the 20th century, which was the period for Siam to become a modern "nation-state." And then this study moves on to examine discourses of "hill tribes" after World War Two. This study summarizes that "hill tribes" referred to mountain peoples who were outside the reign of a kingdom in pre-modern period. To the late 19th century and early 20th century, they were untamed, or unable to be tamed barbarians who resided in mountain spaces in contrast to a civilized and modernized urban space. After World War Two, these peoples have been regarded as invaders to the national territory and their lifestyles were harmful to the national natural resources. In addition to that, their constant shifting across boundaries were believed to be an indicator of "un-loyalty" to Thailand and therefore they became the trope of the national security threats. The relations between highland and lowland, framed in civility versus savagery, were binary yet co-existent to a decreased tolerance of highland non-Thais. This study argues that the historical discourses of "hill tribes" provides a salient case to rethink the concepts of "nation-state," "ethnicity" and "minority," concepts that are taken for granted in our time.