Thread: Quiet Colonialism

Originally Posted by Wally Dorian Raffles

Im surprised they still teach French and German in NZ schools.

Both were taught when I went to High School, but they have been replaced with Chinese and Japanese in Australian schools, as far as I know.

Tradition, I suppose . . . and the lack of qualified local teachers for Chinese and Japanese. Oddly enough my daughter's French teacher is half Maōri and speaks excellent French, having studied there for many years . . . and her German teacher is a Kiwi who has been teaching German for decades and is . . . ok (nasty arse Anglo accent, though)

Originally Posted by panama hat

That depends, I have not encountered this as much in the US, NZ, Oz as I have in Thailand, as an example. I certainly can count on one hand the number of Caucasian friends or acquaintances we have in SG, MY, HK or Japan.

TBF most of my western experiences are based on European countries.
Much worse in some parts of UK.
In Indonesia I have lived in a rural Muslim community, where being a westerner is a curiosity and no more. In Bali, I live in a 95% Hindu community. I have yet to see or meet another westerner here. Locals are polite and friendly.

If anyone takes the time to research the history of Papua since the Dutch abandoned the place they will see how the Indonesians took over and colonised the place, well at least they are still trying to. While working there I spoke with a couple of young Papuans and they could speak Indonesian and English but they were very upset that they couldn't converse with their Grandparents in the local Papuan language/dialect.
I think it is a good example of why there will never be agreements to set aside areas for independent ownership and governance of minorities and that is "MONEY".
The nation doing the colonising is usually reluctant to give up any rights to any resource wealth that may or may not exist in the areas.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Regarding the OP: the framing of "Thainess" through the period of Chakri Kings has been very dominant and all consuming, designed to be such. There's a museum, along from Wat Po which details this quite nicely, showing the changes and what directed them; particularly recently (last 80 years or so).

It's very tough for the non-central Thai groups to continue with their own identity and languages when an overall "Thainess" dominates through all "government" policies for a single goal.

Obviously, this isn't unique to Thailand although the mechanism, and realization of it, is pretty unusual for this period in global history.

Looking around the museum at Sukhotai is pretty interesting and shows a different view/approach, and how things might have turned out with a more gentle traditional "Thai communities" approach with less intensity focused upon centralization of power.

Quite understanding and agreeable toward the systematic dominating push, of the last hundred years, to create this centralized Thainess and "things Thai" [whatever that is] throughout.
Oddly enough, there are still strong presences of non-Thai embodiment that flourish throughout the country, especially in linguistic form, less cultural.

Aspects of culture and customs that are promoted as Thai, truly have their origins from other ethnicities.


Interesting to regard ancient Sukhothai society, especially under the reasonably progressive King Ramkhamhaeng, where the make up of the population were wide and varied ethnic groups under the umbrella of the rather invented "Thai/Tai". During that same period, there might've been more of what we refer to as ethic Thais in locales such as Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Lopburi, and farther south in the lower basin region.