The 1914 uprising of Sam Neua (Houaphan Province, NE Laos) laid
bare complex processes of social ... more The 1914 uprising of Sam Neua (Houaphan Province, NE Laos) laid bare complex processes of social and economic mobilization in the mountainous hinterlands of French Indochina. As a first prelude to the upcoming anticolonial struggles in the Lao-Vietnamese borderlands, this heterogeneous movement is only little understood in its sociopolitical and cultural dimensions. Though initiated by armed Chinese bands, the participation of different upland ethnic groups suggests that the uprising was also the result of socioeconomic discontent and disquiet among the local population. At the beginning of the twentieth century, colonial interventions in upland Laos unsettled economic and political configurations, and confronted local powerbrokers with both restrictions and new opportunities. Colonial infrastructure development negatively affected Chinese trade and mobility in northern Indochina – a key factor for the escalation in Sam Neua. By means of combining microhistory and historical anthropology, this paper aims to investigate forms of mobility, mimetic encounters, and shifting conceptions of sociopolitical hierarchies in colonial Indochina that have so far received only scant attention.
Tappe, Oliver (2022): The Death of Père Verbier – A Case for Historical Anthropology. In: Michael... more Tappe, Oliver (2022): The Death of Père Verbier – A Case for Historical Anthropology. In: Michaela Haug & Rosalie Stolz (eds.), Ethnographic Encounters – Essays in Honour of Martin Rössler, pp. 237-248. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
Frontier Capitalism in Colonial and Contemporary Laos: The case of tin mining. In: Oliver Tappe &... more Frontier Capitalism in Colonial and Contemporary Laos: The case of tin mining. In: Oliver Tappe & Simon Rowedder (eds.), Extracting Development – Contested resource frontiers in mainland Southeast Asia, pp. 172-196. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
In: Yves Goudineau & Vanina Bouté (eds. 2022), From Tribalism to Nationalism. The Anthropological... more In: Yves Goudineau & Vanina Bouté (eds. 2022), From Tribalism to Nationalism. The Anthropological Turn in Laos – A Tribute to Grant Evans, pp. 277-301. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.
Hat Ang, mythological culture hero of the Phong (an ethnic minority in Laos), exemplifies the fig... more Hat Ang, mythological culture hero of the Phong (an ethnic minority in Laos), exemplifies the figure of the upland pioneer. Taking the legend of Hat Ang as a vantage point, this paper discusses the ethnohistory of this specific Austroasiatic group and offers a mythological perspective into the discussion of uplanders’ agency and future-making. This key myth of the Phong addresses questions of remoteness and relationality, of individual aspirations and hubris. Therefore, investigating mythology is key to understanding past and present representations of Phong culture and society within a multi-ethnic upland context.
Drawing on various ethnographic case studies from upland Southeast Asia, this special issue explo... more Drawing on various ethnographic case studies from upland Southeast Asia, this special issue explores uplanders’ pioneering agency and challenges the stereotype of the remote and marginal uplander. We consider upland areas as dynamic sites of future-making and change – initiated by pioneering individuals or local elites who seek out and explore different potential sources of (economic and spiritual) potency. By using the figure of the pioneer as heuristic device, we realign our ethnographic gaze on uplanders by giving particular emphasis to: (1) agents of sociopolitical dynamics in Zomia, (2) questions of remoteness and pioneering mobility, (3) old and new sources of potency, from ‘the state’ to the religious domain, (4) aspirations and future-making and (5) pioneers of change and emergent elites.
In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the for... more In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the formation and interethnic relations in the uplands of Northern Laos. We unpack the historical and contemporary dynamics between "majority" Tai, "minority" Kha groups and the imagined cultural influence of "Lao" to draw out a more nuanced set of narratives about ethnicity, linguistic diversity, cultural contact, historical intimacy, and regional imaginings to inform our understanding of upland society. The paper brings together fieldwork and archival research, drawing on previous theoretical and areal analysis of both authors.
Artisanal tin mining formed part of the livelihoods of the population of the Nam Phathaene valley... more Artisanal tin mining formed part of the livelihoods of the population of the Nam Phathaene valley (Khammouane Province, central Laos) since precolonial times. By the 1920s, the French had established industrial mining in the valley. Lao labour shortage was met with the recruitment of Vietnamese workers. Ever since the region was marked by the co-presence of industrial, small-scale and artisanal mining. This paper investigates the lifeworlds of artisanal miners in the tin mines of Khammouane.
In past and present Vietnam, the dialectic of precarity and resilience shapes the everyday lives ... more In past and present Vietnam, the dialectic of precarity and resilience shapes the everyday lives of mobile labourers. Vietnamese labour mobility is characterised by an interplay between precariousness 'at home' and the uncertainties of migration. The paper aims to highlight continuities and contingencies in the longue durée of Vietnamese work migration through a historical contextualisation of precarious labour relations. Both colonial 'coolie' workers and present-day labour migrants share similar experiences, for example socioeconomic marginalisation in the regions of origin, opportunity and risk, and emerging translocal identities.
The year 2017 was an important one to assess the performance of the new government of Laos. Prime... more The year 2017 was an important one to assess the performance of the new government of Laos. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith tackled key problems of Lao governance and economy — most notably corruption and illegal logging — earning him both domestic and international approval. However, Laos is still facing numerous socioeconomic challenges such as weak legal institutions, poverty, environmental degradation, and a civil society subdued. According to the 8th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016–20), Lao economic politics is focused on graduating from the status of being a least developed country (LDC), not least through mega projects like hydropower dams, mines and large-scale infrastructure projects — negative social and ecological side effects notwithstanding. China and many ASEAN countries compete in large-scale investment in these fields. The Lao–Chinese railway linking Kunming with Vientiane is a case in point. This chapter gives an overview of political and economic tendencies in the Lao PDR at the beginning of the new five-year cycle.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the French colonial administration adopted various strategi... more At the turn of the twentieth century, the French colonial administration adopted various strategies and tactics to 'pacify' and control the culturally heterogeneous regions dividing the lowland realms of the Lao and Vietnamese courts, while upland powerbrokers aimed to forge strategic alliances with the new colonial power. This article takes the concept of mimesis as a means to explore the interplay of alterity and identity. With reference to the work of Michael Taussig, along with other theories of imitation, I will discuss processes of mutual appropriation and differentiation within the precarious relationship between colonizers and colonized. Mimesis here provides an alternative reading of upland Southeast Asian history beyond the binaries of dominance and resistance prevalent in James C. Scott's recent work on the anarchist history of zomia.
in: Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 103-131 (edited 2016 by S. Damir-Gei... more in: Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 103-131 (edited 2016 by S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske; Bielefeld: transcript).
The analysis of global commodity chains calls for a close attention to the question of labour – i... more The analysis of global commodity chains calls for a close attention to the question of labour – in colonial times as well as in the present. Since the economy of the French domains in Indochina and New Caledonia relied on labour-intensive resource extraction (rubber, minerals), the colonial administration and French enterprises envisaged a system of coolie labour that implied the transfer of thousands of Vietnamese labourers from densely populated Tonkin to the newly established plantations and mines.
In: S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske (editors), Bonded Labour - Glo... more In: S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske (editors), Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 9-34 (2016; Bielefeld: transcript).
Are ghosts modern? It seems that modernization and spirituality do not contradict each other in m... more Are ghosts modern? It seems that modernization and spirituality do not contradict each other in most parts of the world. Animist beliefs and ghost rituals often form part of people’s everyday lives vis-à-vis a globalized economy. For them, the unpredictable forces of ‘the market’ correspond with the elusive world of spectral entities. Facing economic risk, flexibility, and precarity, people address the ghosts for protection and luck. This issue of 'Voices' will explore the interplay of economic and ritual practice, of everyday uncertainties and ghostly agency, of emerging modernities and (re-)emerging spiritualities.
When the French finally seized control of the Lao territories on the east bank of the Mekong from... more When the French finally seized control of the Lao territories on the east bank of the Mekong from the Siamese in 1893, Houaphan became an internal upland frontier region within colonial Indochina. Unfamiliar with the concept of overlapping spheres of sovereignty—during the nineteenth century, Houaphan paid tribute to both Luang Prabang and Hué—members of the French colonial administration held discordant views on whether to attach Houaphan to either Laos or Annam. In 1896, the Gouverneur Général in Hanoi decided to divide Houaphan between the two protectorates. This administrative decision triggered unforeseen consequences such as large-scale migrations of the Lao population from east to west. Only seven years later, Houaphan was united again as a province of Laos. This paper explores the social, political and cultural dynamics of this ethnically heterogeneous upland region with regard to specific colonial administrative practices.
The culturally heterogeneous uplands of Southeast Asia constitute a zone of encounters and relati... more The culturally heterogeneous uplands of Southeast Asia constitute a zone of encounters and relations across cultural difference. The Introduction to this Special Issue lays out key themes that encompass the questions addressed by the individual essays. Moreover, it discusses concepts—such as frontier and friction—that inform some of the case studies presented in this issue. The combination of historical and anthropological approaches is aimed at exploring the complex social, political and cultural configurations in upland Southeast Asia.
The 1914 uprising of Sam Neua (Houaphan Province, NE Laos) laid
bare complex processes of social ... more The 1914 uprising of Sam Neua (Houaphan Province, NE Laos) laid bare complex processes of social and economic mobilization in the mountainous hinterlands of French Indochina. As a first prelude to the upcoming anticolonial struggles in the Lao-Vietnamese borderlands, this heterogeneous movement is only little understood in its sociopolitical and cultural dimensions. Though initiated by armed Chinese bands, the participation of different upland ethnic groups suggests that the uprising was also the result of socioeconomic discontent and disquiet among the local population. At the beginning of the twentieth century, colonial interventions in upland Laos unsettled economic and political configurations, and confronted local powerbrokers with both restrictions and new opportunities. Colonial infrastructure development negatively affected Chinese trade and mobility in northern Indochina – a key factor for the escalation in Sam Neua. By means of combining microhistory and historical anthropology, this paper aims to investigate forms of mobility, mimetic encounters, and shifting conceptions of sociopolitical hierarchies in colonial Indochina that have so far received only scant attention.
Tappe, Oliver (2022): The Death of Père Verbier – A Case for Historical Anthropology. In: Michael... more Tappe, Oliver (2022): The Death of Père Verbier – A Case for Historical Anthropology. In: Michaela Haug & Rosalie Stolz (eds.), Ethnographic Encounters – Essays in Honour of Martin Rössler, pp. 237-248. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
Frontier Capitalism in Colonial and Contemporary Laos: The case of tin mining. In: Oliver Tappe &... more Frontier Capitalism in Colonial and Contemporary Laos: The case of tin mining. In: Oliver Tappe & Simon Rowedder (eds.), Extracting Development – Contested resource frontiers in mainland Southeast Asia, pp. 172-196. Singapore: ISEAS Publishing.
In: Yves Goudineau & Vanina Bouté (eds. 2022), From Tribalism to Nationalism. The Anthropological... more In: Yves Goudineau & Vanina Bouté (eds. 2022), From Tribalism to Nationalism. The Anthropological Turn in Laos – A Tribute to Grant Evans, pp. 277-301. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.
Hat Ang, mythological culture hero of the Phong (an ethnic minority in Laos), exemplifies the fig... more Hat Ang, mythological culture hero of the Phong (an ethnic minority in Laos), exemplifies the figure of the upland pioneer. Taking the legend of Hat Ang as a vantage point, this paper discusses the ethnohistory of this specific Austroasiatic group and offers a mythological perspective into the discussion of uplanders’ agency and future-making. This key myth of the Phong addresses questions of remoteness and relationality, of individual aspirations and hubris. Therefore, investigating mythology is key to understanding past and present representations of Phong culture and society within a multi-ethnic upland context.
Drawing on various ethnographic case studies from upland Southeast Asia, this special issue explo... more Drawing on various ethnographic case studies from upland Southeast Asia, this special issue explores uplanders’ pioneering agency and challenges the stereotype of the remote and marginal uplander. We consider upland areas as dynamic sites of future-making and change – initiated by pioneering individuals or local elites who seek out and explore different potential sources of (economic and spiritual) potency. By using the figure of the pioneer as heuristic device, we realign our ethnographic gaze on uplanders by giving particular emphasis to: (1) agents of sociopolitical dynamics in Zomia, (2) questions of remoteness and pioneering mobility, (3) old and new sources of potency, from ‘the state’ to the religious domain, (4) aspirations and future-making and (5) pioneers of change and emergent elites.
In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the for... more In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the formation and interethnic relations in the uplands of Northern Laos. We unpack the historical and contemporary dynamics between "majority" Tai, "minority" Kha groups and the imagined cultural influence of "Lao" to draw out a more nuanced set of narratives about ethnicity, linguistic diversity, cultural contact, historical intimacy, and regional imaginings to inform our understanding of upland society. The paper brings together fieldwork and archival research, drawing on previous theoretical and areal analysis of both authors.
Artisanal tin mining formed part of the livelihoods of the population of the Nam Phathaene valley... more Artisanal tin mining formed part of the livelihoods of the population of the Nam Phathaene valley (Khammouane Province, central Laos) since precolonial times. By the 1920s, the French had established industrial mining in the valley. Lao labour shortage was met with the recruitment of Vietnamese workers. Ever since the region was marked by the co-presence of industrial, small-scale and artisanal mining. This paper investigates the lifeworlds of artisanal miners in the tin mines of Khammouane.
In past and present Vietnam, the dialectic of precarity and resilience shapes the everyday lives ... more In past and present Vietnam, the dialectic of precarity and resilience shapes the everyday lives of mobile labourers. Vietnamese labour mobility is characterised by an interplay between precariousness 'at home' and the uncertainties of migration. The paper aims to highlight continuities and contingencies in the longue durée of Vietnamese work migration through a historical contextualisation of precarious labour relations. Both colonial 'coolie' workers and present-day labour migrants share similar experiences, for example socioeconomic marginalisation in the regions of origin, opportunity and risk, and emerging translocal identities.
The year 2017 was an important one to assess the performance of the new government of Laos. Prime... more The year 2017 was an important one to assess the performance of the new government of Laos. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith tackled key problems of Lao governance and economy — most notably corruption and illegal logging — earning him both domestic and international approval. However, Laos is still facing numerous socioeconomic challenges such as weak legal institutions, poverty, environmental degradation, and a civil society subdued. According to the 8th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan (2016–20), Lao economic politics is focused on graduating from the status of being a least developed country (LDC), not least through mega projects like hydropower dams, mines and large-scale infrastructure projects — negative social and ecological side effects notwithstanding. China and many ASEAN countries compete in large-scale investment in these fields. The Lao–Chinese railway linking Kunming with Vientiane is a case in point. This chapter gives an overview of political and economic tendencies in the Lao PDR at the beginning of the new five-year cycle.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the French colonial administration adopted various strategi... more At the turn of the twentieth century, the French colonial administration adopted various strategies and tactics to 'pacify' and control the culturally heterogeneous regions dividing the lowland realms of the Lao and Vietnamese courts, while upland powerbrokers aimed to forge strategic alliances with the new colonial power. This article takes the concept of mimesis as a means to explore the interplay of alterity and identity. With reference to the work of Michael Taussig, along with other theories of imitation, I will discuss processes of mutual appropriation and differentiation within the precarious relationship between colonizers and colonized. Mimesis here provides an alternative reading of upland Southeast Asian history beyond the binaries of dominance and resistance prevalent in James C. Scott's recent work on the anarchist history of zomia.
in: Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 103-131 (edited 2016 by S. Damir-Gei... more in: Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 103-131 (edited 2016 by S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske; Bielefeld: transcript).
The analysis of global commodity chains calls for a close attention to the question of labour – i... more The analysis of global commodity chains calls for a close attention to the question of labour – in colonial times as well as in the present. Since the economy of the French domains in Indochina and New Caledonia relied on labour-intensive resource extraction (rubber, minerals), the colonial administration and French enterprises envisaged a system of coolie labour that implied the transfer of thousands of Vietnamese labourers from densely populated Tonkin to the newly established plantations and mines.
In: S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske (editors), Bonded Labour - Glo... more In: S. Damir-Geilsdorf, U. Lindner, G. Müller, O. Tappe, M. Zeuske (editors), Bonded Labour - Global and Comparative Perspectives, pp. 9-34 (2016; Bielefeld: transcript).
Are ghosts modern? It seems that modernization and spirituality do not contradict each other in m... more Are ghosts modern? It seems that modernization and spirituality do not contradict each other in most parts of the world. Animist beliefs and ghost rituals often form part of people’s everyday lives vis-à-vis a globalized economy. For them, the unpredictable forces of ‘the market’ correspond with the elusive world of spectral entities. Facing economic risk, flexibility, and precarity, people address the ghosts for protection and luck. This issue of 'Voices' will explore the interplay of economic and ritual practice, of everyday uncertainties and ghostly agency, of emerging modernities and (re-)emerging spiritualities.
When the French finally seized control of the Lao territories on the east bank of the Mekong from... more When the French finally seized control of the Lao territories on the east bank of the Mekong from the Siamese in 1893, Houaphan became an internal upland frontier region within colonial Indochina. Unfamiliar with the concept of overlapping spheres of sovereignty—during the nineteenth century, Houaphan paid tribute to both Luang Prabang and Hué—members of the French colonial administration held discordant views on whether to attach Houaphan to either Laos or Annam. In 1896, the Gouverneur Général in Hanoi decided to divide Houaphan between the two protectorates. This administrative decision triggered unforeseen consequences such as large-scale migrations of the Lao population from east to west. Only seven years later, Houaphan was united again as a province of Laos. This paper explores the social, political and cultural dynamics of this ethnically heterogeneous upland region with regard to specific colonial administrative practices.
The culturally heterogeneous uplands of Southeast Asia constitute a zone of encounters and relati... more The culturally heterogeneous uplands of Southeast Asia constitute a zone of encounters and relations across cultural difference. The Introduction to this Special Issue lays out key themes that encompass the questions addressed by the individual essays. Moreover, it discusses concepts—such as frontier and friction—that inform some of the case studies presented in this issue. The combination of historical and anthropological approaches is aimed at exploring the complex social, political and cultural configurations in upland Southeast Asia.
An announcement of the publication of Bonded Labour: Global and Comparative Perspectives (18th–21... more An announcement of the publication of Bonded Labour: Global and Comparative Perspectives (18th–21st Century) by transcript publishers.
We encounter water every day. It is a vital substance biologically as much as socially. We may notice this in art exhibitions and university courses communicating submersed and subversive facts about water; the rhythms of floods and tides resonating with fishing techniques and conflict patterns; inundations carrying moral and political weight as much as water and pollution; and particular mixtures of water and land generating wealth, anxieties and memories. In short, wherever people deal with water, they are involved not only with a physical element, but also with social relations. In fact, whenever we pretend that water is foremost the molecule H2O, we ignore all the political, economic, infrastructural, emotional and legal aspects of this element without which water would not be what it is for us today. This issue explores some of the ways in which water is profoundly social, both in the sense of being co-produced by social life, and by being a core constituent of it. Some contributions to this issue do this through the examples listed above. Others illustrate the way water positions people and their perspectives. A few show how large water infrastructures reshuffle social lives. And some suggest that water may sometimes be better imagined as a word in the plural, rather than a singular, universal substance.
Web magazine" Voices from around the world", Issue 2, 2016;
Global South Studies Center, Univers... more Web magazine" Voices from around the world", Issue 2, 2016; Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne, Germany
In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the for... more In this paper we explore the intersections between oral and colonial history to reexamine the formation and interethnic relations in the uplands of Northern Laos. We unpack the historical and contemporary dynamics between "majority" Tai, "minority" Kha groups and the imagined cultural influence of "Lao" to draw out a more nuanced set of narratives about ethnicity, linguistic diversity, cultural contact, historical intimacy, and regional imaginings to inform our understanding of upland society. The paper brings together fieldwork and archival research, drawing on previous theoretical and areal analysis of both authors.
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Papers by Oliver Tappe
bare complex processes of social and economic mobilization in the
mountainous hinterlands of French Indochina. As a first prelude to
the upcoming anticolonial struggles in the Lao-Vietnamese
borderlands, this heterogeneous movement is only little
understood in its sociopolitical and cultural dimensions. Though
initiated by armed Chinese bands, the participation of different
upland ethnic groups suggests that the uprising was also the
result of socioeconomic discontent and disquiet among the local
population. At the beginning of the twentieth century, colonial
interventions in upland Laos unsettled economic and political
configurations, and confronted local powerbrokers with both
restrictions and new opportunities. Colonial infrastructure
development negatively affected Chinese trade and mobility in
northern Indochina – a key factor for the escalation in Sam Neua.
By means of combining microhistory and historical anthropology,
this paper aims to investigate forms of mobility, mimetic
encounters, and shifting conceptions of sociopolitical hierarchies
in colonial Indochina that have so far received only scant attention.
bare complex processes of social and economic mobilization in the
mountainous hinterlands of French Indochina. As a first prelude to
the upcoming anticolonial struggles in the Lao-Vietnamese
borderlands, this heterogeneous movement is only little
understood in its sociopolitical and cultural dimensions. Though
initiated by armed Chinese bands, the participation of different
upland ethnic groups suggests that the uprising was also the
result of socioeconomic discontent and disquiet among the local
population. At the beginning of the twentieth century, colonial
interventions in upland Laos unsettled economic and political
configurations, and confronted local powerbrokers with both
restrictions and new opportunities. Colonial infrastructure
development negatively affected Chinese trade and mobility in
northern Indochina – a key factor for the escalation in Sam Neua.
By means of combining microhistory and historical anthropology,
this paper aims to investigate forms of mobility, mimetic
encounters, and shifting conceptions of sociopolitical hierarchies
in colonial Indochina that have so far received only scant attention.
http://voices.uni-koeln.de/2017-3/socialwateranintroduction
We encounter water every day. It is a vital substance biologically as much as socially. We may notice this in art exhibitions and university courses communicating submersed and subversive facts about water; the rhythms of floods and tides resonating with fishing techniques and conflict patterns; inundations carrying moral and political weight as much as water and pollution; and particular mixtures of water and land generating wealth, anxieties and memories. In short, wherever people deal with water, they are involved not only with a physical element, but also with social relations. In fact, whenever we pretend that water is foremost the molecule H2O, we ignore all the political, economic, infrastructural, emotional and legal aspects of this element without which water would not be what it is for us today. This issue explores some of the ways in which water is profoundly social, both in the sense of being co-produced by social life, and by being a core constituent of it. Some contributions to this issue do this through the examples listed above. Others illustrate the way water positions people and their perspectives. A few show how large water infrastructures reshuffle social lives. And some suggest that water may sometimes be better imagined as a word in the plural, rather than a singular, universal substance.
Global South Studies Center, University of Cologne, Germany
http://voices.uni-koeln.de/2016-2/globalmodernitiesand