Assimilation and ethnic boundaries in Southern Thailand: exploring the Malay Muslim cultural resistance

In Thailand’s Deep South, insurgency remains an urgent issue which has not been resolved since 2004. Muslim cultural resistance in Thailand’s Deep South is rooted in resentment from state-driven assimilation, which has contributed partially to the insurgency. The method is drawing on qualitative data collected through short-term fieldwork observations conducted between April and May 2022 and in-depth interviews with 14 Malay Muslim key informants, primarily in Pattani Province. This study employs the concept of ‘ethnic boundaries’ to analyse how cultural practices function as a form of resistance. By foregrounding cultural resistance and ethnic boundary-making, this article contributes to the literature on the Deep South peace process, which has thus far insufficiently addressed the ethnic and cultural dimensions of Malay Muslim participation and influences. The findings show that Malay Muslim cultural resistance plays a crucial role in sustaining ethnic identity by maintaining clear boundaries that distinguish Malay Muslims from the Thai national identity, including the category of ‘Thai Muslim’. However, such cultural expressions are often viewed with suspicion by the Thai state, partly due to their perceived association with the ongoing insurgency in the Deep South.