migrants
Zapotec Migration North
The migration by Zapotec farmers to find work north of the Mexican border is now fostered as much by global climate change as it is by other economic factors. A 2,400-word article published in the National Observer, a Canadian news website, on Monday last week explains the nature of the migration, its causes, and, most […]
Why the Amish Relocate [journal article review]
Because of the high growth rate of Amish society—their population doubles every 20.5 years—they are always on the lookout for more land to expand onto. Since they prefer to remain a rural society, they are generally interested in moving as groups of families to new farming areas. A recent research article by Cory Anderson and […]
The Trap of Rural Thailand [journal article review]
One of the causes of the May 2014 military coup in Thailand was the persistent rhetoric about corrupt governments that had tried to favor the Rural Thai people. Few commentators noted the fabled peacefulness of the Rural Thai society that Phillips (1965) had so effectively described, nor did they appear to pay much attention to […]
Rural Thai Children Threatened by Absence of Parents
Millions of Rural Thai children are being raised by their grandparents, a social situation that seems to be producing serious problems for the youngsters, such as increased levels of aggression toward their peers. The Bangkok Post last week published an analysis of the issue based on preliminary results from an academic study plus the paper’s […]
Lancaster County Amish Consider Leaving
The Amish are starting to leave Lancaster County, according to an article published last week in the daily digital magazine Ozymandus (or “OZY” for short). The piece, written by Chris Scinta, indicates that the tourism industry, which has blossomed in the county, is so badly affecting the lifestyle of the Amish themselves that some have […]
Seminar Presentation on Rural Thai Culture
At the end of last week in Thailand, news reports were cautiously hopeful, since protesters had mostly ended their blockades, expecting the courts to resolve the political crisis. While the impasse continues between the government of prime minister Yingluck Shiniwatra with her mostly rural power base and the urban/elite anti-government faction, at least Bangkok traffic […]
Changes in Rural Thailand [journal article review]
Scholars and policy makers have tended to view Rural Thai villages as stable communities where people normally retain permanent residences. That stability is believed to be an essential ingredient in fostering both a healthy society and a productive economy. Migrations of people, according to that view, are a problem that officials and policy makers need […]
Social Changes in Rural Thailand [journal article review]
Claims that the Rural Thai people are “peaceful” are based, in part, on a remarkable study conducted by Phillips (1965) between 1956 and 1958 in a village in Central Thailand. The nonviolence that Phillips recorded in Bang Chan was a result of the Buddhist values of the people and the fabric of their rural society. […]
Land Ownership and Internal Migration in Rural Thailand [journal article review]
In 2004 the journal Demography carried an article by Leah K. VanWey (reviewed here on April 7, 2005) that reported how rural female Thai migrants exhibit more altruistic behavior than rural males when they send remittances back to their villages. Van Wey has published another journal article about remittances in rural northeast Thailand, this time […]
Ladakhi Women Weavers
Out-migration is a growing problem for traditional pastoral communities of eastern Ladakh, according to Monisha Ahmed, who was quoted in an article in The Hindu on Sunday. Dr. Ahmed’s findings appear to complement, and perhaps vary a bit, from the research results of Sarah K. Goodall, whose work on migration from eastern Ladakh was reviewed […]
