The ‘Thailand Controversy’ Revisited

Abstract

The so‐called ‘Thailand controversy’ divided the anthropological communities of Australia and the US in the early 1970s. In the heat of opposition to the Vietnam War, allegations were made that some anthropologists and institutions, particularly the Tribal Research Centre in Thailand, had worked hand in glove with the military/intelligence establishment and contrary to the interests of the minority peoples who lived in the hills of north Thailand, who were the subjects of research. The author was one of those so accused and the paper presents his view of the episode. It traces the genesis of the Tribal Research Centre, the publication of an inflammatory article in the US, and the subsequent escalation of the controversy there. It then details its impact on the Australian anthropological community, with particular reference to the Sydney University Department. Finally, it describes the climax of the controversy in the Australian Association of Social Anthropologists, and the American Anthropological Association. In conclusion, it argues that the confused intensity of the affair was a product of a mix of political passions, ethical considerations, and different views about the role of academics in society.

Australian Aboriginal anthropology at the crossroads: Finding a successor to A. P. Elkin, 1955

“…Geddes, while he maintained an interest in Fiji and Sarawak, shifted the focus to Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, and in 1965 helped establish the Tribal Research Centre in Thailand. This left a legacy that remains controversial and unresolved to this day (Hinton 2002; Miles 2008).…”

Editorial

“…Soon after its inception, the organisation was asked to adjudicate on the issue of allegations of anthropologist involvement in counter-insurgency in Thailand (Hinton 2002). This issue had been instrumental in a rethinking of ethical practice in the American Anthropological Association (Watkin 1992), but the Australian debate focused principally on questions of the professional conduct of Australian scholars.…”

An orthodoxy of ‘the local’: post‐colonialism, participation and professionalism in northern Thailand

“…In the early 1970s the Controversy put the practice of researchers in northern Thailand to the forefront of debates in the US and Australia, and centred on the disturbing accusation that anthropologists working in the highlands may have been contributing to the counterinsurgency efforts of the Thai and United States governments to the detriment of the mountain communities they were researching. Social scientists working in highland communities were accused of providing information that would assist military operations, and potentially put the lives of their informants at risk (see Berreman 1991; Hinton 2002; Wakin 1992; Wolf and Jorgenson 1970 1971).…”