Journal of Sociology and Anthropology

editorials

Prakirati Satasut — 2022-06-30

From Sacred Landscape to Package Tour: Buddhist Pilgrimage to Myanmar and the Political Economy of Buddhist Tourism

Neeranooch Malangpoo — 2022-06-30

This paper traces the historical development of Thai pilgrimage tourism in Myanmar, revealing the relationship between the Burmese sacred sites and the political contexts of Thailand and Myanmar. From document research and ethnographic data, it argues that the Burmese Buddhist sacred sites that became tourist attractions have became parts of Thai Buddhist landscape because of three crucial historical contexts: 1) the Buddhist mission to Lanna sponsored by a Mon king in 15th century; 2) The teak trade link between British Burma and Lanna in 19th-20th Century; and 3) the Burmese military government economic and religious policies that turn sacred sites into tourist attractions to boost the country's economy and the government moral legitimacy. Later, the change of Thai international policy towards Myanmar that encouraged economic cooperation between the two countries and the lift of Western sanction on Myanmar precipitated the boom of Thai pilgrimage in Myanmar during 2012-2019.

“White is Sacred Purity”: When Buddhism as the Established Religion Clashing with the Religious Freedom and Equality in Thailand

Krich Pooyeeyama — 2022-06-30

The development of the concept of Buddhism as the established religion of Thailand emerged during the Thonburi-Rattanakosin period of Siamese political history. The concept is part of the “Nation-Religion-Monarchy” ideology, established by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) as the spirit of the modern Siamese nation-state. Although a few decades later, the Siamese revolution of 1932 would have abolished absolute monarchy, the old regime’s concept of Buddhism as the established religion passed on to the new regime. This article argues that the persistence of this concept inhibits religious freedom and equality from being fully ensured. As a result, it ultimately led to a proposal to separate the Thai state from Buddhism based on secularism.

Religious Affairs Promotion Committee and Buddhism Propagation Committee under the Government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibun Songkhram, 1938-1944

Tanapong Chitsanga — 2022-06-30

Religious Affairs Promotion Committee and Buddhism Propagation Committee were established during the Field Marshal Phibunsongkhram administration with the purpose to oversee domestic religious affairs and encourage the sangha to support assorted governmental policies. After the rise of Phibunsongkhram to premiership, the government formed and tasked the Religious Affairs Promotion Committee with the responsibility to specify the correct role and qualifications of monks as well as provide an appropriate guideline to the management of Buddhist affairs. Perhaps more importantly, during the Franco-Thai War in 1941, the Phibunsongkhram government set up another committee, the Buddhism Propagation Committee, to internally fight against other faiths, especially Catholicism. This committee set its sight on propagating Buddhism through religious training provided to students and the public from which the Chaplaincy Division was founded within the Religious Affairs Department to facilitate such process in order to assert the place of Buddhism as the national religion.

Buddhist Network for Peace (B4P) and its negotiation with violence in the Deep South

Samatcha Nilaphatama — 2022-06-30

This article aims to understand Buddhist Network for Peace (B4P)’s public communication work as a negotiation tool for a minority group living in a violent conflict situation researcher lends the conceptual ideas from Peace process and citizen media to apprehend B4P’s public communication activities. Summary from this study shows that unlike other Buddhist civic groups in the region, B4P uses nonradical approach to connect and collaborate with other civic groups in the region for working toward violence negotiation. Being a representative group of an unarmed civilian and violence-targeted Buddhist victims, B4P legitimately communicates with public through releasing the organization’s statements documents. Despite this common practice of public communication, B4P has still faced difficulties in strengthening its organization and public communication capacity.

Buddhist Women and the Peace Process in the Context of the Ethno-religious Dynamics in the Deep South of Thailand

Duanghathai Buranajaroenkij — 2022-06-30

This article explores the roles, goals, and approaches of Buddhist women in the Deep South peace process. The dynamic situation has fluctuated in intensity, and there have been intermittent tense relations between Buddhist and Muslim communities. The researcher interviewed Buddhist women and male leaders who were affiliated with organizations based upon Buddhist identity. The participatory observational method was used to understand the activities of Buddhist groups/organizations. The concept of gender provides an analytical framework to examine the roles of Buddhist women who, despite their small number, were able to voice their concerns and enhance their participation in the peace process. These women become visible in public spaces within civil society, and on the official dialogue platforms of delegations both from the government and resistance movement parties. In recent years, Buddhist women able to claim their space within the peace process where they have helped shape both the Buddhist agenda and establish negotiating positions.

Post-migration and Challenges of the Return Migrants of Upward Economic Mobility in Northeast Thailand

Soimart Rungmanee — 2022-06-30

International migration has been described as one of the strategies that contribute to rural development. However, there is very few research questioning lives after migration and the various challenges of reintegration in the home community. Drawing on an empirical case from a village in Udon Thani Province, Northeast Thailand where migration to work aboard has been a key livelihood strategy, the paper explores migration and return, and whether return migrant’ households are able to successfully lift their economic status. This paper argues that although working aboard can generate good income for migrant households in a certain period, once they return to their home village, several challenges and limitations facing each household shaping their capacity in income generation. Thus, migration to work abroad remains an important household’s strategy though generations.