The perceptions of local people in Southern Thailand regarding their regional culture
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Abstract
Culture is a commonly used term, yet what it really means is found complicated because it can convey different meanings in different contexts. Another problem that people consider important but not easy to find the answer is identifying which elements belong to culture and what does not. In addition, while it is rather easy to search for information about the culture of a nation, it is not the same for regional culture. It is the case of Southern Thailand.
This study aims at studying an acceptable definition of culture and identifying elements of culture, and studying the culture of Southern Thailand. The data of this qualitative study are obtained via semi-structured
interviews using indicative questions administered in friendly, informal settings. This study involves three local people, one male and two females, aged between 30 and 50. After the interviews were conducted consecutively, the transcriptions were coded and organized by themes then categorized for analysis. The findings showed that the regional culture of Southern Thailand is characterized by its diversity, with the coexistence of various ethnic and
religious groups, influencing the cultural values, the beliefs, ideologies, behavior, language use, the way of thinking about family, respect, friendship and co-operation.
The study contributes to the understanding of Southern Thailand’s culture, providing valuable insights that could enhance effective cross-cultural communication and cultural preservation in this region. The research
suggests that further studies should involve more diverse participant pool to obtain more comprehensiveness of the findings.
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