Drawing the Sea Near: Satoumi and Coral Reef Conservation in Okinawa

Abstract

inclusive and plural) terms, beyond the internalised stigma of their ‘non-Thainess’. Bolotta’s background as a clinical psychologist and his engagement with psychoanalytical scholarship adds value to his conceptualisation of the ‘polysemic selves’ of dek salam as a defence against state violence (182) as well as an internalisation of the ‘stigmatising parenthood’ (170) of the Thai state. While this book offers insightful methodological reflections on the positionalities and the epistemologies of fieldwork, the psychological interpretations of children’s selfmaking processes might challenge readers not trained in psychology. We encourage the reader to embrace this excellent contribution to an emerging psychological anthropology in the context of marginalised urban communities, instead of rebuking its appealing theorisation at the intersection of anthropology and psychology. The book is a captivating read and an impressive tool to think with for scholars with interests in and beyond Southeast Asia. Its strength lays not in resolving tensions or rushing to epistemic shortcuts, but rather in dissolving them into their most subtle nuances excellently executed through detailed historical-grounded analysis and reflective and vivid ethnographic analysis.