Discussions of resource management and development in northern Thailand often emphasize the threat of eviction faced by uplanders living in forest reserve zones. This "specter of eviction" is to be found in official government policy, in academic accounts of highland development, and in the activist writings of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The review of the literature in this article suggests, however, that very few evictions have in fact taken place since the early 1980s and the threat of eviction in accounts written over the past two decades is exaggerated. The authors examine some of the political, practical, and policy reasons why the rate of eviction has been very low. They conclude by arguing that reliance on the specter of eviction by activist academics and NGOs seeking to defend the rights of upland farmers results in a political strategy that is disempowering and disengaged from current livelihood realities.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Human Society
Research Group:	Political science
Research Field:	Government and politics of Asia and the Pacific
Objective Division:	Law, Politics and Community Services
Objective Group:	International relations
Objective Field:	International political economy (excl. international trade)
UTAS Author:	Farrelly, N (Professor Nicholas Farrelly)
ID Code:	145432
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	11
Deposited By:	Office of the School of Social Sciences
Deposited On:	2021-07-21
Last Modified:	2021-09-28
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