State Simplifications and a Sea of Changes

Strategies of Moken and Orang Suku Laut Resilience and Counter-Exclusion

Bibliographic Data

ID24217796
AuthorsMaxime Boutry (0000-0002-8841-7630, CNRS), Cynthia Chou (University of Iowa)
Year2026
Pages1-21
Publication date2026-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTRaNS Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2051-364X • E-ISSN: 2051-3658
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/trn.2026.10027
OpenAlexW7215078137
LanguageEN
References cited28

This paper presents a comparative study about the resilience of two sea nomadic groups of Southeast Asia – the Moken of the Myeik Archipelago (Myanmar/Thailand) and the Orang Suku Laut of the Riau-Lingga Archipelago (Indonesia). While they might have been historically valued for their seafaring skills, sea nomadic groups have increasingly been described as “uncivilised” and subsequently marginalised through state expansion and the commodification of marine and coastal resources. Drawing on James C. Scott’s concept of state simplifications, we examine how state-led developments, tourism or pearl farming threaten their access to marine spaces and redefine their livelihoods. Although the Moken and Orang Suku Laut have not been able to ward off state control completely, they have developed counter-exclusion and resilience strategies to maintain their presence in Southeast Asia’s maritime waters and coastal areas. These include developing alliances with Chinese intermediaries along patron-client relationships, selectively engaging with environmental initiatives or mobilising more than-human actors. The Moken rely on decentralised networks and mobility to negotiate shifting powers, while the Orang Suku Laut consolidate kinship-like ties with patrons and leverage their reputation of black magic ( ilmu hitam ) practitioners to resist state intrusion. This paper illustrates their astounding degree of agency and creativity in their effort to preserve their cultural identities and rights to the seas and coastal regions they inhabit. The struggles and strategies of the Moken and Orang Suku Laut may thus offer conceptual tools for challenging the territorial imaginaries of the modern state and envisioning more plural futures for oceanic worlds.

Clientelism · Cultural identity · family networks · James C. Scott · more-than-human · pearl farming · resilience strategies · sea nomads · sorcery · state expansion · territorial imaginaries · Tourism · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Coastal Management and Development · Indigenous Cultures and History

Tools

Open DOI