Preah Vihear and the politics of Indigenous heritage in Thailand

The conflict over ownership of the Preah Vihear temple between Thailand and Cambodia has had profound, often overlooked effects on Indigenous communities, particularly the Kui people in Northeast Thailand. This study reveals how national and international political disputes disrupt local traditions, such as the Kui practice of elephant-catching, by restricting traditional hunting paths due to border closures. The research demonstrates that the Kui responded to this endangerment by strategically heritagising their culture for national recognition, achieving cultural resilience through a deliberate act of partial misrecognition. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2018 and 2022, the study contextualizes these findings within Thailand's colonial history and Cold War era, highlighting how state-level denial of Indigenous existence has shaped expressions of identity and heritage in the country.

Santikarn, A. (2024). Preah Vihear and the politics of Indigenous heritage in Thailand. The Routledge International Handbook of Heritage and Politics, 137–152. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003300984-15