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The closing of the frontier: land pressures and their implications for rural social organization in the Thai central plain

Contributions to Asian studies9Published In 1976 • Pages: 7-26

By: Piker, Steven Isaac.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This paper discusses traditional social stratification in Thailand from about 1350-1767 A.D., and then, beginning in the 19th century, with changes in stratification patterns as the result of forces of 'modernization,' both from within the society as well as from without. During Piker's field work 'modernization' processes were well advanced, and changes were dynamic not only in terms of the relationship of the peasant to the broader society as a whole, but also in terms of peasant to peasant relationships. Associated with these changes are those described by the author as the result of population pressure on land ownership in rural Thailand. The major conclusion of the paper '...is that definite patterns of social stratification, predicated upon differential access to the wherewithal for subsistence and the occupational implications thereof, are emerging among villages, whereas previously in Thai history villagers have stood as a single stratum in relationship to the other strata of the society'.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Population
History
Cereal agriculture
Real property
Production and supply
Classes
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Central Thai
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2019
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southeast Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 1985
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1962-1968
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
ca. 1350-1960
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Banoi village, Ayutthya province, Thailand
NotesAdditional notes
Steven Piker
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
72622759
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Thais