ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the result of Western colonialism and Bangkok colonization on Lanna Buddhism. It argues that Western colonialism was a catalyst for the full colonization of the North into Siam. By examining the sangha reforms of the early twentieth century and the reaction of the Lanna sangha, the chapter shows that the success of Bangkok's colonization of Lanna was due in part to the strategic use of compromise and soft power by the political and monastic authorities in Bangkok. During the period of political centralization, the Bangkok government concentrated much more on the jaonai as the political leaders than the monks who were the social leaders. The authorities in Bangkok felt it crucial to educate the Lanna monks with the same curriculum as in Bangkok, to assimilate them into a single, unified sangha. With its internal colonization policy, Bangkok achieved its goal of assimilating the Lanna people into Siam politically and culturally.
