Thai Government's Promotion of National Culture that Affected Thai Traditional Music Research During 1982-2012

Abstract

This article reports on a study of the state of knowledge and other factors affecting Thai music research from 1982 to 2012. Since 1982, problems of stability and deterioration of national culture led the government to promote national culture through a “conservation approach” to Thai traditional music in accordance with the customs of the Royal Court. This received governmental support for promotion as national cultural heritage to be passed down to posterity. This involved, for example, securing the involvement of various relevant government agencies, opening Thai music education curricula in higher education institutions, creating criteria for what constitutes “Thai traditional music” and allocating funds to support research on this art form. This support meant that most of the research in the field of Thai music from this time period was fundamental in nature and studied Thai music within the framework of Thai music theory. It examined the components of Thai music with a conservational approach following the prevailing understanding of “Thai traditional music.”