Dek Inter and the "Other": Thai Youth Subcultures in Urban Chiang Mai

Rapid urbanization in northern Thailand over the last few decades has led to the growing movement of young people from rural villages to the city. As Thai youth lose ties with their village communities, new forms of belonging are being sought through urban subcultures. This paper explores the emergence of various youth subcultural groups in Chiang Mai and illustrates how these groups use visual and performative style to create their own symbolic community. In particular, it demonstrates how young northern Thai people attempt to form a "modern" identity through the construction of subcultural boundaries and the categorization of a "backward" other.