FRONTIERS, BORDERLANDS AND SCALES IN SOUTHEASTERN ASIA

Abstract

This dissertation is designed to address problems exemplified by Willem van Schendel with a vast and visually recognized mountainous area in southeastern Asia that is not considered a region. He suggested theoretical work on flows and scale. The first chapter is introductory and describes the research’s scope, approach, and the methodology. The second and third chapters discuss and analyze a frontier zone in Shan Stat in eastern Myanmar, specifically the relationships between rural area, the regional center of Kengtung, and two sizable border towns of Mong La and Tachileik. Chapter 2 hypothesizes border-frontier interaction, and Chapter 3 analyzes the scale in geographical research. Chapter 4 explores two Zomia-like places in the Philippines with consideration of globalization and the core-periphery division. The findings in Chapter 2 support a hypothesis that in some cases, and with certain scope of research, borders could be seen as small and stand-alone places next to border crossings. Chapter 3 further elaborates the interconnection between different kinds of scale in the geographical research with involvement of globalization. and discusses the borders as possible facilitator of transformation of the nearby areas. The easily accessed by sea islands in the Philippines do not have land borderlines and hence little incentive of focused development for geopolitical reasons of the island interiors. This dissertation contributes to the border studies, scale theorization, and also to globalization.