Mani ‘Sakai’: Representations, Ethnicity and Marginality

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Apichaya Kaewuthai

Abstract

This research article aims to (i) study the representations of the Mani ‘Sakai’ which are presented through the discourse of Thai daily newspapers and the discourse of documentary as well as the linguistic devices used to communicate the representations, and (ii) identify the relationship between Mani ‘Sakai’ representations and the ethnicity and marginality. Data was collected from 10 online Thai daily newspapers, Mani documentary (Sorakadee Mani) published on YouTube and 2      documentary publications (Sarakadee Sakai). Results show that the Thai daily newspaper discourse use 3 linguistic devices, including word choices, metaphors and sentence patterns, whereas the documentary discourse uses 4 linguistic devices, including word choices, metaphors, sentence patterns, and negation. The representations of the Mani ‘Sakai’ in Thai daily newspapers are: (i) the Sakai are wild men, outdated and different from the majority of people in the country; (ii) the Sakai live a vagrant life; (iii) the Sakai’s lifestyles change over time; (iv) the Sakai need assistance in problem - solving and improving quality of life; and (v) the Sakai are a   tourism product. The representations of the Mani ‘Sakai’ in documentaries are: (i) the Sakai have a deep connection with forests; (ii) the Sakai live a vagrant life; (iii) the Sakai’s lifestyles change over time; (iv) the Sakai need assistance; (v) the Sakai are the underprivileged who have been  exploited by the society; and (vi) the Sakai are a tourism product. In addition, Mani ‘Sakai’ representations are related to the ethnicity and marginality. In  other words, they are illustrated as ethnic minorities who have been pushed away to the opposite direction of the center and the majority of people in the country.

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