Ghost, Woman, Ethnicity: The Politics of Possession in the Film, Ta-Kien
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Abstract
The Film, Ta-Kien (2003) narrated the construction of a big dam from 1977 to 1997, which affected the Karen ethnic group. The director presented this historical film from the perspectives and attitudes of the ethnic group and their experiences of serious injustice. The film used the supernatural power-possessed woman, Pee Nang Ta Kien, to demonstrate and criticize state power. This movie demonstrated 3 strategies in which people of low status interact with the state power in being spiritually possessed as a means for communication, guarantee, and influence. Furthermore, the analysis of the film and the concept of being possessed in the historical context reveals the Thai state's attitude toward the Karen people as ghosts in the Thai geo-body.
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