Following a discussion of my educational and intellectual background in anthropology, I introduce my ethnographic research on various ethnic groups among Muslims in Central Thailand from 1976-77, 1994, and 2002.

This ethnographic research began with a classic Geertzian/Weberian approach to how globalization/modernization had a definitive influence on the socioeconomic, political, religious, and ritual developments among the various Muslim communities in Central Thailand. Global trends in Islam stemming from the Middle East including the early phase of the Iranian theocratic revolution and the emergence of various reformist, Wahhabist, and Salafist movements had major political and religious consequences for these Muslim communities.

Additionally, ethnic revivalist trends were also becoming apparent within these communities. All these developments were documented in my research.  Later, I explored the cognitive and emotional aspects of these ethnic and religious trends that illustrated the increase in essentialist perspectives and perceptions in these communities. I will also introduce a brief research project in 2011 in Yunnan, China among various ethnic communities that also indicated the prevalence of essentialist tendencies.