Listening to the Shan Diaspora Soundscapes in Thailand: The Reflection of Home and Political Imagination.

This presentation will examine the performance of various genres of Shan music among the Shan diaspora in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I will unpack the processes of creating, performing and transmitting Shan music in a variety of social contexts. “Pan Kao” (Shan traditional music) and “Pan Mai” (Shan Pop music) both reflect on the ways in which the Shan in exile constructed their cultural identity and collective memory, which related to the idea of Shan nationalism. While the Shan diaspora negotiates their identity with the host country through traditional music, particularly the Shan long drum, political pop rock music is being used to reconnect with the Shan people in Shan State, Myanmar. The pop rock music created by the Shan ethnic armed group also played a vital role in forming a genre of music and political imagination among the Shan generation Y who grew up in Thailand. However, following Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, the younger generation (Generation Z) attempts to create new soundscapes in solidarity with the people of Myanmar, opposing the coup and participating in the Spring Revolution 2021. In contrast to previous generations, who embraced the idea of Shan nationalism, I will examine how the altering soundscape represents a new interpretation of collective memory.

Oradi Inkhong is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Cornell University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of ethnomusicology, diaspora studies, and Southeast Asian studies. Her dissertation research explores the making of diasporic music by ethnic Shan migrants living in Thailand. She conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Shan State, Myanmar to understand the role of music in constructing and redefining the meaning of “home(s)” as a crucial component of Shan diasporic consciousness. Previously, Oradi received her BA in Journalism (Film and Photography) and her MA in Anthropology from Thammasat University, Thailand.