ABSTRACT
However, the history of sociocultures in combination with the configuration of fields is not sufficient to understand Lao society. This book has also explored the concepts of habitus and the life cycle, the symbolic universe and globalization. It became apparent that many Lao have an ‘ill-fitting’ habitus and that the generations differ greatly in their respective cultures and habitus. They also react differently to the effects of globalization and to identity politics, as well as playing differing active roles in Lao society. Finally, Laos is not a ‘container’ intelligible in itself, but has to be understood in the framework of global and transnational processes. It is this aspect that I wish to explore further in this final chapter.
