The social transformation of a market township in southern Thailand.

Abstract

Examines the impact of the process of incorporation and infrastructural development on a small market township and its environs, where traditional, coconut-based agriculture is in decline. The three ethnic groups, the Chinese, Thais and Malays equally submit to the contraction of the local opportunity structure, but respond differently to the perceived new opportunities on the mainland: the Chinese are abandoning the island for the capital; the Thai surplus population is migrating both to the cities and the newly opened agricultural areas on the mainland; the Malays remain and face progressive impoverishment. The township suffers a loss of functions and depopulation. The study demonstrates that one-sided infrastructural development aggravates rather than resolves the problems faced by a marginal community as it becomes incorporated in the national society and economy. -Author