Consuming alien goods, digesting foreign culture: Complexity of new consumption in north-western Thailand

This paper argues that globalization should not be seen as an inevitable mighty Western force imposed upon local society, but rather as a more complex interactive process through which local culture responds to change and external influences. Local people compromise with modern technology and new economic trends by modifying their habits and traditions, such as those related to language, diet, leisure and music. Local culture is not simply forced to alter itself and local people are not just driven to abandon their traditions. It is in fact a successful adaptation of local culture to innovation. Furthermore, the process of such adaptation is highly complex.À l'image qui fait de la mondalisation une force occidentale aussi inévitable que toute-puissante, cet article se propose de substituer celle d'un processus complexe et interactif de réponse adaptative d'une culture donnée au changement et aux influences extérieures. Face à la technologie moderne et aux nouvelles donnes économiques, les populations locales réagissent en modifiant leurs habitudes et leurs traditions (langue, alimentation, loisirs, musique, etc.) mais cela ne signifie pas pour autant le déclin de la culture locale ou l'abandon des traditions. Il s'agit en fait d'un processus efficace d'adaption à l'innovation. Et ce processus est hautement complexe.Pawapakan Niti. Consuming alien goods, digesting foreign culture: Complexity of new consumption in north-western Thailand. In: Aséanie 10, 2002. pp. 85-104