Diversity in the relationship between low and upland society in mountainous Southeast Asia

The mountainous areas of mainland Southeast Asia have been an area of interest for researchers for decades. The mountains are located in a region that stretches out to the southern and western parts of China and encompasses different ethnic groups, forming a unique political, historical, social and cultural space. Associate Professor Shinsuke Tomita, Asian Satellite Campuses Institute, Nagoya University, Japan, is exploring the relationship between lowland and upland society in mountainous Southeast Asia, as well as investigating how agricultural productivity can be understood in the context of culture and society. In previous studies, researchers have surmised that interactions between the two societies are one of the key drivers behind the region's formation. An example of this is wet rice farming, which is regarded as the source of political power of the chieftains of the region due to its higher agricultural productivity. As such, researchers have been prompted to better understand the political power derived from wet rice farming and rethink lowland and upland relationships. From a case study in northern Laos, Tomita and the team shed light on relationships that cannot be explained by agricultural productivity. The researchers have also unearthed interesting findings relating to the power of the chieftain, including that the wet rice fields owned by the chieftain are not necessarily larger than other villagers and the power of the chieftain is likely unstable.