Narrating Identity and Belonging: Buddhist Authenticity and Contested Ethnic Marginalization in the Mountains of Northern Thailand

Processes of exclusion and inclusion structure the relationship between Theravāda Buddhism and socio-ethnic identity in Northern Thailand. The Dara’ang, a Mon-Khmer speaking population, practice a form of Buddhism similar to that found amongst various Tai cultures of the region, but distinct in many ways from that propagated by the institutions of the modern Thai state. Fieldwork conducted in Dara’ang communities is the basis for an exploration of the ways in which adherence to Theravāda Buddhism supports both the presence of the Thai state within highland villages and the production of narratives that challenge the negative social representation of Dara’ang and other highland ethnic-minority peoples.