CDSSEA 22 Space-making of Karenni Refugee Identity: A Case Study of Ban Mai Nai Soi Camp

Space-making of Karenni Refugee Identity: A Case Study of Ban Mai Nai Soi Camp Author: Kultida Niwitkulnipa CDSSEA 22 This research analyzes how Karenni refugees of Ban Mai Nai Soi camp continually engage as actors to create space of identity and community through communal events. Despite their confinement—where Karenni refugees are not recognized by neither host country nor country of origin—Karenni refugees continually create spaces of nationalist and ethnic identity. In articulating their sense of belonging, Karenni refugees work hard to maintain traditional practices by recreating sacred symbols, rituals, and dancing performances which they traditionally practiced in the past.