Market and Ethnicity: The Origin and Rhythm of Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

Abstract

Historically and today, the dynamics of the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar include power relations between specific subgroups of entrepreneurs who possess different levels of capital. One result of these dynamics is the affect on the ‘spatial form’ of the market itself. The market includes a high-priced shopping centre owned by a large-scale entrepreneur. Footpaths on either side of Chang Klan Road are lined with push-cart souvenir shops and other vendors, which are generally more popular among tourists than the shopping centre. While this competition has caused a great deal of conflict between these two groups, there is yet another layer of competition. Akha street peddlers, who have limited resources and cannot afford space in the Night Bazaar, continue to circulate and sell their goods within the market space. Ultimately, being a trader at the Chiang Mai night Bazaar depends on economic capital; it also involves a status or “meaning”, as defined by others, such as a “marginal” or even “desperate” trader trying to eke out a living.