Abstract
In this paper, I hope to add a complementary perspective to James Scott’s recent work on avoidance strategies of subaltern mountain people by focusing on what I call the refugee public. The educated Karen elite uses the space of exile in the Thai borderland to reconstitute resources and to re-enter Karen state in Eastern Burma as humanitarians, providing medical, educational resources and help to document human rights violations and do advocacy work. In addition, local missionaries and faith-based groups also use the corridor to spread the word of God. I argue that Karen humanitarian community-based organizations succeed to stretch the border by establishing a firm presence that is supported by the international humanitarian economy in the refugee camps in Northwestern Thailand.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1 |
| Journal | Journal of Borderlands Studies |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 47-61 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISSN | 0886-5655 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Humanities
- ethnic minorities
- humanitarianism, compassion, privilege, Danamarksindsamlingen, Sianne Ngai, Didier Fassin
- conflict
- Borderline
- Religion/politik
