This research note presents the everyday encounters of Karen primary school children with Thai nationalism and gender norms. The case studies highlight the different ways children learn about common themes of gender expectations, poverty and being an ethnic minority in Thailand. Through an ethnographic exploration of the shared experiences of play and of growing up Karen in the Thai national education system, the research note examines the ways in which Karen children grapple with the ethnonational baggage of their identity and their home against the ultimately unattainable goals of Thainess that are imposed on them.
