泰國的國家整合與伊森地域認同的探析

National Integration and Isan's Regional Identity in Thailand

本文試圖以泰國東北地區作為標的，揭示當代泰國所存在的族裔地域主義問題。本文首先將地域視為一個社會的建構物，其生成係不斷地在變化之中，透過長期歷史發展的分析以後，本文認為，伊森地域的興起可以視為一種當地居民對於泰族國家推展集權化措施的回應。儘管伊森地區不良的先天地理環境的確為日後發展設下諸多限制，但是，真正導致伊森地區成為泰國最貧窮的地域，甚至是被遺忘的關鍵，卻是中央政府的統治策略。由於伊森居民與寮族文化存在著極高的近似性，致使伊森認同經常呈現出一種泰族政治和寮族文化等要素的重疊現象，從而導致居民長期處於國家權威的懷疑和猜忌之下。但是，伊森地域認同乃是一種在位階上次於泰國族政治認同的地域認同，其構成要素不僅僅是族裔的與文化的，而且包含有更多的空間意識。假若泰國的國家權威仍然執著從國族認同的角度來理解伊森地域主義，如此，將難以消弭核心地區與東北邊陲之間的衝突。

Thailand's Northeastern Region so called as ”Phak Isan” is a ”problem-region” because of a combination of unfavourable ecological factors environmentally and strategically vital. In this article, an attempt will be made to explore the development of ethnic regionalism in modern Thailand by way of historical approach. It finds Isan regionalism as a emergent regionalism can be seen as a response to centralizing effort by Thai elites while traditional Siamese state transforms into a modern Thai nation-state. When Thailand is to face the external threats such as colonial powers and communism, the thinking on centralization will be highlighted due to the diversity in ethnicity. Thus the more the national authorities aspire to integrate the region into Thai state's absolute control, the more distinct its regional identity came to be. The only way to eliminate the paradox of centralization is to stop the hegemonic domination by Thai state in the name of national integration and then to revise ethnicity-based prejudices and stereotyping to the ethnic Lao in Isan region.