Globalization of the Golden Triangle: Cultural transformation in Burma, Laos and Thailand.

摘要

Globalization is a universal social phenomenon which has interested many sociologists for over two decades. Of the contemporary competing views, Wallerstein and his colleagues perceive that the "world-system" is a result of interdependence of political and economic interactions between the core and peripheral societies, while Robertson, Appadurai, Meyer and numerous other sociologists perceive it as a more complex interaction between all levels of societies including individuals, agencies, and nation-states; as well as a complex juxtaposition between universal and particular cultural orientations. In the latter perspective, cultural differences are important factors in the production of divergence in political and economic systems in today's global society.;This comparative study of Burma, Laos and Thailand uses historical and recent data, including interview data, to investigate the degree to which globalization results from, and is influenced by, cultural differences. The dissertation focuses on cultural transformations within the three countries and their degree of global involvement. Though these countries have had some similarity in their cultural and historical development, their involvement in global processes have differed significantly. The study has found the concept of "selective emulation" to be the conceptual key to relevant differences and a main ingredient in the globalization process in countries such as Burma and Laos where their political and economic systems are not completely included in the global society. This research answers four major questions about globalization in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia. These include (1) the time frame in which globalization has become of importance, (2) the way in which other societies outside the western hemisphere interpret the process, (3) the process whereby global society is formed, and (4) local projection of the outcomes of globalization. This inquiry indicates that globalization has existed or emerged over a very long period and has recently been intensified by technology and communication systems. Furthermore, it is a continuing process of selective emulation and the particularization of universalism as well as universalization of particularism Globalization does not bring convergence to all societies. Here it is shown that the juxtaposition of the western ideas and Buddhism still plays an important role in the interpretation of globalization in countries like Burma, Laos and Thailand.