The rise of the Nguyen Dynasty and change in the power paradigm of early nineteenth century mainland Southeast Asia

Abstract

This is a study of simultaneous political development during the last chapter of “traditional” state of the Mekong valley in terms of centralized expansion, spatial territorialization, and ethnic and peripheral cooperation prior to the coming of colonialism. It is constructed as a series of related case studies, connected by the theme of early state making project. The phenomenon evoked dynamic political and geopolitical development along the Mekong valley in shaping modern contours of the region by two main players of Vietnamese and Siamese who unprecedentedly produced state infrastructure and state institution into the complex terrain and margins. Given the Mekong valley as an integrated social and political space regardless of diverse physical terrains and cultures, interaction between ethnics and principalities created a certain “power paradigm” of political relationship which is described as “a “field of power”. The field was dominantly run by various form traditional power relationship, “network of loyalty”, kinship, and central-peripheral model. State power recognized the existence of this inhomogeneous political space and maintained vast area of ambiguity and unidentification along the frontier of core-state. Such power paradigm has been severely challenged by early nineteenth century Vietnamese state making project in order to approach closer to modern form of centralized state establishment. The extinguishment of traditional power relationship and replacement of directly territorial and administrative management from center gradually and fundamentally produces a new geopolitical structure throughout the Mekong region by design of unprecedented emerging state.