The Shinawatra siblings: Ethnic heroes and the rise of Lanna nationalism

Abstract

AbstractIn 2014, banners hung across Thailand's northern region called for a separate Lanna state. This rise in consciousness of a Lanna political identity stems from rumors that Thaksin—former prime minister and from the Lanna region—is the reincarnation of past Northern kings. The ethnic pride derived from these connections added to feelings of ethnic persecution as the conservative Bangkok elite attacked and lampooned Thaksin regarding these rumors and, indirectly, Lanna culture. While neither Thaksin nor his sister Yingluck have used explicit nationalist rhetoric, their political fates—both were ejected in military coups—have increasingly been interpreted in nationalist terms. I combine qualitative evidence from Thai newspapers, magazines, social media accounts, blogs, etc. that trace this development with 2015 survey data from Chiangmai, Lanna's capital. The survey shows that 40% of respondents consider the Shinawatra siblings as the most important ethnoregional figures, past or present, and this correlates with strength of Lanna identity.