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Introduction: Frictions and Fictions—Intercultural Encounters and Frontier Imaginaries in Upland Southeast Asia

The culturally heterogeneous uplands of Southeast Asia constitute a zone of encounters and relations across cultural difference. The Introduction to this Special Issue lays out key themes that encompass the questions addressed by the individual essays. Moreover, it discusses concepts—such as frontier and friction—that inform some of the case studies presented in this issue. The combination of historical and anthropological approaches is aimed at exploring the complex social, political and cultural configurations in upland Southeast Asia.