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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I was interested to read that “<st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Siam</st1:place></st1:country-region> was coined
during Rama IV’s period.” Checking Baker and Pasuk’s History
of Thailand, it appears that sometime in the 11<sup>th</sup>-14<sup>th</sup> centuries,
this was a Chinese reference to the Central Thai domains (Ayutthya etc). <st1:City
w:st="on">Yao</st1:City> (Mien) people across northern <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> refer to <st1:City w:st="on">Bangkok</st1:City>
as Syem-law, and I assume that their cartographic biases draw on Chinese
references (the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Yao</st1:place></st1:City>
mostly came from Guangxi and thereabouts). They call <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region> Thai-te, which is
essentially a translation of muang/prathet thai. Because my experiences in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region> have mostly been confined to the north
of the country, I view <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Siam</st1:country-region></st1:place>
as a very Bangkok-centered reference, and not something that will transcend
current nationalist, racialized (and religious and linguistic) biases. If the
country is dominated by Bangkok then the move to “Siam” is just a
plain acknowledgement of that. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Warmly,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Leif<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Hjorleifur Jonsson</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Associate Professor of Anthropology, SHESC</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:PlaceName w:st="on"><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Arizona</span></font></st1:PlaceName><font
size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Tempe</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">AZ</st1:State> <st1:PostalCode w:st="on">85287-2402</st1:PostalCode>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place></span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>tel: main office 480-965-6213, fax:
480-965-7671</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>direct line: 480-965-7837</span></font><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>email: <a href="mailto:hjonsson@asu.edu">hjonsson@asu.edu</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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