Interrelated holy men millenarian movements destabilized southern Laos and North East Siam (Isan) at the turn of the twentieth century. In contrast to those who have interpreted these uprisings as purely anti-state, the author presents evidence to suggest that Champassak royals played crucial roles in supporting the revolts, even to the extent of masterminding rebellions against both the French and the Siamese in order to enhance their own power. The findings of this research illustrate the varying power structures that existed within lowland states in mainland South East Asia at the beginning of the twentieth century, a point that has implications with regard to James Scott's (2009) arguments in The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia.
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