Identity and conflict in regions of Southeast Asia: a compilation of case studies
Abstract
Continental Southeast Asia constitutes a region of the world in which a wide variety of cultures exist—some of them with heritages dating back millennia. The contemporary configuration of states, religions and identities of all signs create factors that are inescapable when analysing the roots of the armed conflicts that proliferate in this region. These factors serve not only as explanatory variables, but they also modify the relationships among the parts in the conflict and external actors. For example, transnational criminal groups often come together following ethnicity logics.
Several case studies are proposed in this article with the objective of determining how identity dynamics present in Southeast Asia could exert influence over currently active armed conflicts, as well as other adjacent phenomena. The proposed case studies are Northern Myanmar, Southern Thailand, and Northeastern India.
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