tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post728768521062614657..comments2024-03-23T04:01:39.348-04:00Comments on Understanding Society: Red shirts as a social movementDan Littlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-73450043960244477742010-11-11T22:54:36.913-05:002010-11-11T22:54:36.913-05:00IMO, Thaksin may have played a large role in setti...IMO, Thaksin may have played a large role in setting direction and bringing the Red Shirts into existence. But I think the Red Shirts represent a real and significant portion of the Thai population.<br />Also, given Thailand's intense class differences, the very act of involving the kinds of people who join the Red Shirts in the political process is a violation of the unspoken rules of Thai politicsJessicaYoginihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15851195163937411247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-19069130776960100902010-09-28T17:11:53.800-04:002010-09-28T17:11:53.800-04:00All posts on UnderstandingSociety are written by P...All posts on UnderstandingSociety are written by Professor Daniel Little.Dan Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-40414475281356888622010-09-28T16:16:17.980-04:002010-09-28T16:16:17.980-04:00For citation purposes, who is the author of this a...For citation purposes, who is the author of this article? Can't find any authorship information on the blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-9622586427210114372010-05-20T10:47:17.253-04:002010-05-20T10:47:17.253-04:00...and scholars in this tradition generally lack d...<i>...and scholars in this tradition generally lack deep knowledge of the politics of Asian countries.</i><br /><br />The politics, the cultures, the religions, the languages, the histories... While I have no objection to such a study on the Red Shirt movement, I would be hesitant to suggest that Western scholars lead such studies. At the very least, scholars from SE Asia (especially those who have intimate experience with Thailand) should be in the lead. As a Muslim I have seen how easy it is for non-Muslims, scholars or not, to misread completely Muslim culture and politics, let alone the religion of Islam, due to their own biases, prejudices and ignorance, which, all too often, the person isn't even aware of to begin with. As an American expatriate who has lived in SE Asia for 7+ years, I understand how complicated understanding this region can be, hence the need for Asian researchers to be heavily involved in any studies.<br /><br /><i>Surely Thaksin plays a role; but equally certainly, leaders and followers have their own issues, agendas, and passions.</i><br /><br />Personally, I would say don't underestimate Thaksin's influence on the Red Shirt movement, which I see as a continuation of the banned <i>Thai Rak Thai</i> ("Thais Love Thais") political party that Thaksin founded. My own opinion is that the Red Shirts are another "astroturf" movement, a la the U.S. Teabagger movement, funded and directed from behind the scenes by Thaksin and other <i>Thai Rak Thai</i> leaders who are out in the cold politically but trying to regain power. The Red Shirts are too similar demographically to the <i>Thai Rak Thai</i> constituency for this to be coincidence, IMO.JDsghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735390644321868222noreply@blogger.com