Political economy of super-marginalization of karen ethnicity and their reactions to state power and capitalist penetration: a case study of Kaengkrachan
Abstract:
This research aims to study marginalization of Karen ethnic group in Kaengkrachan National Park. The purposes of
this qualitative research are to study the political economy of marginalization of Karen ethnic group and effects of being
marginalized ,which resulted from the state power, capitalist penetration and modern culture, to study reactions of Karen ethnic
group in Kaengkrachan National Park against forest and land management and to study Ethnic ecology of Karen in Kaengkrachan
National Park and in the areas around it, in order to find sustainable solutions to conflicts in forest and land management.
Epistemology standpoint of the researcher is the standpoint of critical political economy which aims to refute the myth for social
change. Research methodology is the area-based research for resistance, the researcher takes the standpoint of the oppressed who
have been affected from physical and ideological violence from state power and capitalist penetration by using qualitative research
via transdisciplinary critical political economy. The study shows that Karen in Kaengchachan are not only marginalized but indeed
super-marginalized from many factors ,for example, the expansion of the state roles in resource management. States ban on
shifting cultivation has led to the loss of Karen ways of life, identities, and traditions. In addition,the resource management of the
state leads to severe Human Rights violations of Karen in Kaengkrachan area including forced evacuation and demolition,
intentional community burning and even murder of some leaders of the Karen movement. These state actions amount to
Repressive State Apparatus which have severely affected the Karen. Moreover, the capitalist penetration is one of the main
factors which has caused Karen in Kaengkrachan to live in the conditions of super-marginalized. When Karen cannot maintain
their traditional ways of live, cannot conduct shifting cultivation which used to be their subsistence economy, they become
proletarianized, seeking jobs outside their communities or become informal workers under support of a foundation which has a
career promotion project, even though such project can partly secure the earning for female Karen but what they have to pay is
their inherited style of garment.In addition to this the penetration of world capitalists for mining affect the lives of Karen.
Moreover, with state concession policy, logging of some companies resulted in enormous loss of forest areas in Kaengkrachan,
and in the stigmatization of Karen as deforesters. Such stigmatization and others of its kind diminish their self-esteem, leading to
loss of their identity. However, they have tried to establish a people organization called the Network of Karen for Culture and
Environment, which has played a vital role in resurrection of their believes, values, ways of life and identities and in campaigning
for public policies to protect their identities, so the pride of beliefs, values, ways of life and identities has gradually been
resurrected.