Unsettled Post-Revolutionaries in the Online Public Sphere

Bibliographic Data

ID6087243
AuthorsWarren Mayes (corresponding author), Warren Paul Mayes
Year2007
Volume24
Issue1
Pages89-121
Publication date2007-01-31
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0217-9520 • E-ISSN: 1793-2858
PublisherISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (PUBLISHER • SG)
DOI10.1355/sj24-1f
OpenAlexW2153990328
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited26

The internet is opening up new spaces for communication between young post-revolutionary urbanites in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and the exiled communities of the diaspora in the United States and elsewhere. While the Lao Government values the internet for its ability to harness the economic potential of these communities, it also exposes young elites in the capital, Vientiane, to critical debates about what a future Laos 'should' be. Such debates are almost non-existent in the tightly controlled authoritarian public sphere within Laos. This article analyses the participation of post-revolutionaries in debates in the online public sphere and argues that it is informed by an ethics of reconciliation and responsibility lacking in the anti-communist politics of exile inspired by the West. The article is the product of extensive fieldwork in Laos and ongoing participation in online communities, discussion forums and messaging networks

Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public sphere · Sociology · Asian Studies and History · Law · Socioeconomic Development in Asia · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies

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