Sticky rice in the blood: Isan people’s involvement in Thailand’s 2020 anti-government protests

Abstract

This article examines the extent, form, and motivations for Isan people’s involvement in the 2020 Thai youth protests, both in Thailand’s northeast region and in Bangkok. Based on observations of more than two dozen protests, news analysis, and interviews, this paper argues that Isan people’s participation in these protests was driven by a desire to exert political agency and address the political inequality of khon isan (Isan people), which has been omnipresent throughout the region’s long history of political struggles.