ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the impact activist work has had in highlands of North Thailand by focusing on a brief period of fieldwork conducted in the village of Ban Huai Hoi in June 1997 at the end of a longer journey. Ban Huai Hoi is a relatively new settlement. The philosophy of ‘community culture’ expressed at the meeting has been nicely summarized elsewhere by Rapin Quinn as a strategy, a means to help people strengthen themselves in the ‘politics of alternative development’. The Royal Forestry Department (RFD) has for many years had what can only politely be described as a problematic relationship with highland farmers. In response to specific policy decisions by the state concerning environmental degradation the Mae Wang catchment was gazetted in 1965 by the RFD as a national forest reserve. Activists have bolstered self confidence and helped people believe they can change things for the better.
