Education creates unrest' : state schooling and Muslim society in Thailand and the Philippines

Abstract

In educational studies, the politics of state schooling, particularly in crafting national identities, cultures, and allegiances has been a common focus of scholarly interest. However, in Southeast Asian studies, less work has been committed to understanding the cultural politics of government-sponsored education in the context of colonialism, nation building, and/or modernity. Within this body of literature, few scholars have sought to examine the state school in cases where it has been challenged, questioned, or resisted. Additionally, there is a persisting. tendency to. observe the development of modern education from the perspective of the center, majority, and elite, consequently paying scant attention to the making of the margins and the historical experiences unique to their schooling environments. Therefore, based on archival research and preliminary fieldwork, this thesis aims to explore the cultural, political, and historical contexts of modern education through two case studies: the first in southern Thailand and the second in the southern Philippines. It concludes by connecting these educational pasts to the present challenges confronting state schooling in the Muslim minority regions of Greater Patani and Mindanao and Sulu, respectively.