~ a group blog on a variety of topics related to anthropology, sociology, and ordinary people ~
Thailand’s most famous and beloved writer– Rong Wongsawan’s work has been translated, edited and published in English for the first time. For admirers of Thailand and its culture, you can now get a glimpse of California culture through the writing and ethnography of Thailand’s most famous ‘man of the people’ for the first time in English.Working really hard on the YouTube channel. If you want to help please subscribe here: Laurelin the Other.
The writings of an important Thai writer & journalist are just beginning to surface in the English language. I feel confident enough to say that I am the first anthropologist & ethnographer indebted to ‘Rong Wongsawan, because my mentor Dr. Tony Waters is conducting this translation work, with the help of his Thai students, and with the approval of Rong Wongsawan’s family. What makes this story more interesting is that I only know and speak two languages– English and Kiswahili, and I’m currently conducting Fulbright fieldwork in central Africa– in Kigoma, Tanzania.…
When I first taught in Thailand in 2011, I sought Thai sociologists to help me figure out what was different from my American-style sociology. In California, I taught many years of Classical Social Theory, focused on Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, and wondered: what might Thai Classical Theory look like?
The Thai sociologists I asked about Thai Social Theory often gave me a blank look and noted that they too used at least Weber and Durkheim. …
English speakers seemingly use the word Burma or Myanmar to describe that country. My impression is that it is somewhat interchangeable. If you use Burma instead of “Myanmar” it is some how ok—you just sound a bit old-fashioned, which is perhaps how the United States Embassy in “Burma” sounds to ears inside Myanmar. On the other hand, some who are in opposition to the current Myanmar government prefer the more traditional name of “Burma,” and favor it when speaking English.…