Webinar | Luck and Money: The Significance of Lotteries in Laos

This talk explores lotteries in Laos. Dr. Charles (Chip) Zuckerman will briefly trace their political, economic and moral history since 1975, and the mechanics of the lottery system. How has the Lao government rationalized the lottery system as an economic activity that is coherent with socialist goals? Might the lottery shed light on Lao state enterprises generally? He will then discuss what the lottery was like in Luang Prabang while he was doing ethnographic research in 2013-2016, with a focus on the many things that playing the lottery, choosing numbers, and winning meant for people on the ground.⠀

Dr. Charles (Chip) Zuckerman is a linguistic anthropologist who studies Laos. His doctoral project explored gender and the moral and communicative dimensions of gambling in Luang Prabang. He is currently turning this research into a book. His more recent, post-doctoral research, based at the University of Sydney and led by Nick Enfield, explores linguistic and cultural diversity and convergence among indigenous people in the Nakai-Nam Theun Protected Area.

Registration is required for this event and will open shortly. Follow TAEC on Eventbrite to receive notification of registration.