Andrew Turton (193813 August 2021) was a British anthropologist who specialised on

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and the

Tai peoples Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thais, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Aho ...

of Southeast Asia.

Life

Turton held the Chair of Anthropology and Chair of the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He lived for many years in Thailand, where he did research, mainly in

Northern Thailand Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is geographically characterised by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them. Though like most of Thailan ...

, but also in Laos and the Chinese province of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, where the native areas of several Tai peoples lie. He lived in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

until his death in 2021.

Notable works

* * ** (Also published in the '' Journal of Contemporary Asia''. 8 (1): 104–142. 1978. .) * * ** * * * * * *

References

1938 births 2021 deaths 20th-century British anthropologists 21st-century British anthropologists Academics of SOAS University of London Alumni of SOAS University of London Scientists from Bristol Thai studies scholars {{UK-anthropologist-stub