ABSTRACT
Fueled by the synergy of cross-border trade, investment, and development between China and Laos, the Lao state attempts to reassert its domination over the upland areas and population by converting poppy fields into rubber land. However, at the same time, the influx and circulation of money, goods, and people resulting from the cross-border economic exchanges rework local social and economic life and produce new forms of sociality. Accordingly, my focus is on the social significance of the interactions between the Chinese and the Lao Akha in Muang Sing and Muang Long. Problemtizing the concept of ‘frontier,’ I argue that this frontier space is of multiple engagements and significantly provides the Lao Akha new ways to experiment with a spectrum of social and economic opportunities. By highlighting the role of aspiration, indigenizing modernity and personalized connections, this examination casts new lights on the Lao Akha’s experience of their livelihood transition from a subsistence-oriented to a market-based one.
