Trapped in Place: Changing Mobility Patterns and Lifestyles of Thai Moken: The Example of Surin and Phayam Islands

Lukas Christian Husa; Kwanchit Sasiwongsaroj; Somrak Chaisingkananont; Vithaya Chaidee

doi:10.29333/ejecs/2664

Authors

Lukas Christian Husa University of Vienna, Austria, Mahidol University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6491-7172
Kwanchit Sasiwongsaroj Mahidol University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0724-4908
Somrak Chaisingkananont Mahidol University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7127-9999
Vithaya Chaidee Mahidol University, Thailand https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4287-421X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2664

Keywords:

Moken, spatial , mobility, identity, semi-nomadism, climate change

Abstract

Mobility restrictions, cultural preservation, and intersectional marginalization are interrelated challenges that profoundly affect indigenous and nomadic populations. Restrictions on their movement through national borders, conservation measures, and development policies disrupt long-established spatial practices, economic systems, and kinship networks. While cultural preservation is essential for maintaining collective identity, it is often complicated by external interventions such as the commercialization of cultural heritage, state assimilation initiatives, and the pressures of globalization. The Moken, a traditionally semi-nomadic seafaring people of the Andaman Sea, are a prime example of these intersecting dynamics. Their experiences therefore provide an excellent case study for examining the intertwined dynamics of mobility, identity and marginality in today's maritime Southeast Asia. Field research conducted from November 2024 to March 2025 on the islands of Surin and Phayam has shown that the Moken's way of life has gradually shifted toward sedentarism. In this article, we argue that the preservation of the Moken's valuable cultural knowledge, both in terms of their profound understanding of their maritime environment and their sustainable use of natural resources, depends crucially on maintaining their "semi-nomadic" identity. However, as their ancestral habitat continues to shrink, they are at risk of losing not only their centuries-old identity but also their valuable cultural practices. This article focuses on the question of what remains of traditional spatial concepts and mobility patterns today and what new patterns have emerged because of changing living and environmental conditions.

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Author Biographies

Lukas Christian Husa, University of Vienna, Austria, Mahidol University, Thailand

is an Affiliated Researcher at the Research Institute of Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, Thailand. He received his PhD from the University of Vienna, Austria. His current research interests focus on the history of tourism and dark tourism, the economic and social history of drugs, and cultural studies with a special reference to the commodification of material culture, especially in Southeast Asian context.

Kwanchit Sasiwongsaroj, Mahidol University, Thailand

is an associate professor at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, Thailand. Her research centers on cultural and migration-related diversity and its impact on health and well-being, with a specific focus on multicultural coexistence of migrants in the host country, retirement migration from the Global North to Southeast Asia, and old-aged care.

Somrak Chaisingkananont, Mahidol University, Thailand

is an assistant professor at the International PhD Program in Multicultural Studies, within the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia at Mahidol University, Thailand. Her areas of expertise encompass cultural anthropology, cultural heritage, ethnicity dynamics, community empowerment, and the sociolinguistic aspects of transnational ethnic movements in Thailand and the broader Asian context.

Vithaya Chaidee, Mahidol University, Thailand

is a researcher of “Cultural diversity and well-being” research cluster at Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University. He has a background in occupational Health and Safety and holds an MA in Cultural Studies. He is currently working on a project assessing cultural diversity and cohesion among migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in Thai society.

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