Asian Journal of PEACEBUILDING

Volume 11 Number 1 (May 2023)

Table of Contents

Special Issue_Development of Peace Studies in the Asian Context: Trajectories and Complexity in the Post-Cold War

Peace and Conflict Studies in Thailand: The Primacy of the State’s Narrative of Security

Pavin Chachavalpongpun pp. 95-117 doi: 10.18588/202305.00a336
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Peace and conflict studies in Thailand is considerably influenced by the security narrative prescribed by the state and manipulated for political purposes. The field of study consequently promotes the interests of the Thai state rather than exploring the socio-political factors that have sustained the longevity of conflicts in the first place. This outcome is most evident in the cases of violence in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand—Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat—and the ongoing political conflict between royalists and their opponents. Because the focus is on national security, the field often overlooks the human aspect of peace and conflicts. This state-centric focus has influenced Thai peace and conflicts studies to take an inwardlooking approach, raising the possibility of it disconnecting from international scholarship.

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