Post-war Laos

The Politics of Culture, History and Identity

by Vatthana Pholsena

  • Published: 2006
  • Pages: 270 pp.
  • illustrated
  • Series number:
Available from NIAS Press in Europe
ISBN Paperback: 978-87-7694-005-8, £ (August 2006)

About the book

This is the first study to examine the views of ethnic minority groups on the national(ist) project in Laos. As such, this original contribution is set to become a landmark study that refines established theories of nationalism, such as Anderson’s ’imagined community’, by addressing a common weakness: namely, their tendency to deny agency to individuals.The book will be of especial interest to students and scholars of Asian history and politics, as well as all scholars working on national identity formation.

 

Critical acclaim:

’Post-war Laos is a thorough and original study of the difficult making of a multi-ethnic nation. Combining a historical approach and a multi-sided ethnography, it provides unique insights into the ideology of ethnicity in Laos. This book is clearly a major contribution to the understanding of one of the less known countries in Asia.’ (Dr Yves Goudineau, Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient)

’Post-war Laos makes not only an important contribution to the study of Lao identity, society and history, but also more broadly to the vexed problem of multiple identities among the people of Southeast Asia.’ (Prof. Martin Stuart-Fox, University of Queensland)

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About the author

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Vatthana Pholsena

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Reviews

by
From journal:
ISEAS Publications

"This is an impressive piece of scholarship.

… this study will provide the indispensable starting point for all subsequent studies of Lao nationalism.  No-one working in this area will be able to ignore this work."

"This is an impressive piece of scholarship.

… this study will provide the indispensable starting point for all subsequent studies of Lao nationalism.  No-one working in this area will be able to ignore this work."

by Mayoury Ngaosrivathana
From journal:
Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 97

This book is well-crafted, solidly reasoned, and highly recommended for those interested in things Lao, and of course subject to sharp debate whenever it touches the core of what constitutes a country made up of a mosaic of ethnicities.

This book is well-crafted, solidly reasoned, and highly recommended for those interested in things Lao, and of course subject to sharp debate whenever it touches the core of what constitutes a country made up of a mosaic of ethnicities.

by Bertil Lintner
From journal:
Asia Times Online

“…Vatthana is well placed to analyze objectively the issue of Lao identity, and she does it extremely well.”

“…Vatthana is well placed to analyze objectively the issue of Lao identity, and she does it extremely well.”