ความเป็นنوسنتارا KHWAMPENNUSANTARA WAYS OF BEING AND PERFORMING NUSANTARA IN PATANI, THAILAND

Abstract

Patani (collectively referring to a region including the Southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat) has a majority Malay-Muslim population, but cast against the national backdrop, they are a minority group within a majority-Buddhist Thailand. Geographically, Patani is at the southern tip of Thailand and borders the north of Peninsular Malaysia. Since 2004, separatist movements in Patani, that demand a separate Malay nation-state for Patani from Thailand, has resulted in violent political conflicts in Patani. Occupying this liminal space between Thailand and Malay-Muslim majority Malaysia, Patanians are able camouflage themselves within a Malay-Muslim majority region. Moreover, this allows Malay-Muslim Patanians to relate themselves to a wider collective Malay identity they understand as Nusantara. This thesis reflects on the notions of Nusantara among various individuals in Patani, Thailand (also referred to as Patanians). Through thorough ethnographic research, I explore how political violence in Patani and the minority status of Malay-Muslim Patanians manifests itself in alternative imaginations of a Nusantara which in turn challenges notions of a Nusantara with an exclusively Malay identity, that are prevalent in neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Through this thesis, I delve into the idea of KhwampenNusantara. Combining a Thai and a Malay word, it refers to an unceasing process of Patanians believing in the idea of Nusantara and “performing” Nusantara-ness. I analyse KhwampenNusantara by conceptually framing my thesis through ideas expressed in colloquial Patani language: 1. sungguh [real], 2. bako [lineage] and 3. attalak [identity]. This thesis documents my everyday interactions, observations and reflections during my time there. Through the people I met in Patani, I get to know about their anxieties, desires, disappointments, hopes and demands when living in this lived and perceived liminal space. What arises, is an arduous strive towards a common collective Nusantara identity, transcending borders, religion and ethnicity.