Comparative Nation Building across the Borderland Area
Chapter 7 analyzes how the different nationalist ideologies in these three countries have affected the politics of national identity among various ethnic minority groups living along the borders. It examines nation-building ideologies and policies in China, Myanmar, and Thailand, then examines how close ethnic linkages between the Shan and Thai manifest in Thailand’s interest in supporting Shan nationalist movements as part of its pan-Tai sentiment. The chapter then compares the implications of different nationalist ideologies and practices on common cross-border ethnic minorities between China and Myanmar. For many ethnic minority groups across the border, China is often perceived as a place where ethnic minorities are treated better than in Myanmar. Relative depravation in Myanmar explains this perception very well.