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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2011
In Thailand and Laos modernization may lead to replacing multipurpose synaptor roles (such as displayed by village headmen) by more specialized, or differentiated synaptor roles.
The observation of modern irrigation projects in Sayaboury, Laos supports this view. In one small irrigation system a new role of “lateral chief” has been created to act as a link (synaptor) between a small group of water users supplied from a common lateral and the extra-local irrigation agents of the national government. This specialized role links a subgroup of the village (a group of water users) with one unit of the government (the irrigation agency) and represents an initial differentiation of the multipurpose synaptor role of the village headman. That is, there are now two formal synaptor roles in the village in place of the formerly exclusive role performed by the village headman.
1 The fieldwork for this research was supported by a grant from the Asia Society.
2 Moerman, Michael, “A Thai Village Headman as a Synaptic Leader.” The Journal of Asian Studies, xxviii (1969) 535–549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar