Journal of Thai Studies

The Provincial Hero Worshiping: Invented Ritual and Cultural Identity

Prasirt Runra — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): The research for this article aimed to study the ritual creation and the construction of identity in “Provincial Hero Worship”, focusing on the impact on both the “creators” and the “participants” of the rituals. The study sought to explore the cultural meanings of the rituals from a folkloristic perspective.

Methodology: The study employed two types of data. First, historical documents concerning the histories and heroic deeds of 20 provincial heroes. Second, field data were collected from annual “Provincial Hero Worship” in 20 provinces between 2023 and 2025, including interviews with the “creators” and “participants” of the rituals. Data analysis was conducted using the concepts of invented tradition and identity construction.

Main result: The findings indicate that “Provincial Hero Worship” emerged after the construction of provincial hero monuments. The ceremonies can be characterized as invented rituals that convey meaning through symbolic objects, symbolic behaviors and symbolic spaces. These rituals reflect a key aspect of identity: the sanctified persona of the provincial heroes. The “creators” of the rituals aim to transmit local values to the “participants.” However, limitations in cooperation between governmental agencies and local communities have resulted in the gradual erosion of traditional local identities, which have become absorbed into state-organized ceremonial formats.

Relevance to Thai Studies: This study enhances the understanding of the cultural significance of rituals in Thai society, illustrating how state-centric historical narratives are integrated into ritual practices. The study also highlights the use of rituals as instruments for promoting tourism and supports the notion of registering cultural knowledge as intangible heritage. In terms of social practice, the study contributes to understanding rituals, traditions and festivals in accordance with the policies of the Ministry of Culture.

Conclusion: “Provincial Hero Worship” are an invented rituals that reflects the historical and local identity associated with the sanctified “city fathers” embodied in the spirits of provincial heroes. The rituals have the potential to support local economic development and tourism.

From Cultural Heritage to Emerging Economic Crop: State Agricultural Policy and Local Hemp Development in Khiri Rat Subdistrict, Phop Phra District, Tak Province, Thailand

Wasan Pounpunwong — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) has been an integral part of the cultural heritage, domestic economy, and textile practices of Hmong communities in northern Thailand. Recently, hemp has been repositioned within Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) policy framework as a strategic economic crop. This study aimed to achieve two objectives: (1) to analyze the agricultural policies of the Thai government regarding the promotion of hemp as a developing economic crop in Khiri Rat Sub-district, Phop Phra District, Tak Province; and (2) to investigate the impact of these policies on sustainable capacity building, collective strengthening, and market development among hemp-growing farmer groups in the area of study.

Methodology: This study used a qualitative case study approach, combining the analysis of existing documents with fieldwork. The sources for this documentary analysis came from a variety of places. These included policy documents, legal and regulatory texts, district and provincial development plans, official reports, research reports, academic books, journal articles, and publications from relevant public and private organizations. Fieldwork was carried out from April to July 2025 following the ethics approval granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University (COA No. 023/2025). The final sample included thirteen participants, chosen purposefully from three groups: those involved in policy and institutions, those in network and community enterprises, and those who grew hemp or were involved in community enterprises. Data collection involved semi- structured, in-depth interviews, field notes , pho tographs, an d site observati ons. Thematic content analysis and methodological triangulation were used to analyze the data.

Main result: The findings show that Thailand’s hemp policy, particularly under the Action Plan for the Development of the Hemp Industry toward Commercialization, 2023–2027, reflects a developmental and policy-coordination approach through targeted regulation, institutional support, and value-chain planning. In Khiri Rat, hemp development is supported by favorable geography, agro-ecological suitability, and longstanding Hmong expertise. However, implementation remains incomplete. Major constraints include complex licensing procedures, uneven access to technical and regulatory knowledge, limited processing infrastructure, fragmented inter-agency coordination, and unstable market channels.

Relevance to Thai Studies: This study contributes to Thai Studies by demonstrating how hemp has shifted from a culturally embedded Hmong plant to a state-promoted economic crop within contemporary Thailand’s BCG regime. This research links cultural capital, public policy, and borderland development, and shows how state strategy, ethnic livelihoods, and market rationalities are negotiated in a peripheral yet strategically significant region.

Conclusion: The study concludes that Thailand has made progress in establishing a strategic framework for hemp development, but its effectiveness remains constrained by uneven state capacity, fragmented institutional mechanisms, limited infrastructure, and uncertain market formation. Sustainable hemp development in border ethnic communities requires not only legal liberalization, but also accessible licensing, stronger community enterprises, integrated value-chain governance, and the strategic integration of traditional Hmong knowledge with modern standards, branding, and market innovation.

Local Wisdom in the Suburban World:Reframing Cultural Heritage through Knowledge-Power Relations and the Community Learning Process in Plai Bang, Thailand

Doungrak Chantang — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): Studies of cultural heritage and local wisdom in Thailand have largely conceptualized heritage as a static object defined through state-led development frameworks and expert-driven knowledge systems. Such approaches prioritize external standards of value, while positioning local communities as passive recipients of interpretation. Under rapid urban expansion, peri-urban areas have become critical interface zones where competing knowledge regimes and power relations intersect. Existing studies have paid limited attention to the epistemological processes through which communities actively negotiate, legitimize and reclaim authority over cultural meanings. Addressing this gap, this present study aimed to 1) analyze the dynamics of knowledge-power relations in defining cultural heritage in a peri-urban context; 2) examine the Community Learning Process (CLP) as an epistemological mechanism mediating these relations; and 3) assess the CLP’s theoretical contribution to epistemological sovereignty in contemporary Thai society.

Methodology: This qualitative study adopted a non-participatory action research framework combined with an in-depth case study approach. Fieldwork was conducted in Plai Bang Subdistrict, Nonthaburi Province, a peri-urban agricultural community undergoing intensive urban transition driven by infrastructural development, land-use change and metropolitan expansion. The site was selected for its analytical value as a space where state, market, expert and community-based knowledge regimes intersect. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with seven key informants involved in community learning and cultural practices, non-participant observation of everyday cultural activities, and document analysis of local records, development plans and community-produced materials. Data analysis employed thematic analysis and critical interpretation informed by perspectives on knowledge-power relations and practice-based knowledge, enabling an examination of how knowledge is produced, authorized and mobilized within everyday practices.

Main result: The findings demonstrate that the definition of cultural heritage in Plai Bang is not merely an outcome of urban development or policy in tervention, but an ongoing pistemological process shaped by unequal knowledge-power relations. Dominant external frameworks associated with state agencies, expert authority and tourism-oriented development tend to marginalize practice-based local knowledge by prioritizing standardized criteria of value. Local wisdom is thus often rendered invisible or reduced to raw material for external interpretation. However, this study reveals that the CLP functions as a critical epistemological space through which community members collectively organize, legitimize and mobilize practice-based knowledge. Through participatory learning and everyday cultural activities, the CLP enables community members to challenge hierarchical knowledge structures and renegotiate cultural meanings. Rather than rejecting external knowledge outright, local actors selectively edit and recontextualize such knowledge in accordance with locally defined values. As a result, community members shift from objects of heritage definition to active agents capable of meaningfully defining their cultural heritage, reflecting the emergence of epistemological sovereignty at the level of practice.

Relevance to Thai Studies: This study contributes to Thai Studies by reframing cultural heritage from a static resource or developmental outcome to a dynamic pistemological process embedded in power relations, learning practices and everyday life, and contemporary forms of community-based cultural knowledge negotiation. By foregrounding communitybased knowledge production and authorization, the findings extend debates that have largely emphasized structural domination or policy outcomes and highlight peri-urban spaces as critical analytical sites for nderstanding contemporary struggles over knowledge and cultural meaning in Thai society.

Conclusion: The article argues that the CLP should be understood as an epistemological intervention enabling communities to attain epistemological sovereignty in defining their cultural heritage. Rather than idealizing community knowledge, this perspective emphasizes the negotiated nature of epistemological authority under conditions of urban transition. By focusing on knowledge production and power negotiation, rather than fixed cultural representations, the study advances theoretical debates in Thai Studies and offers an analytical framework applicable to other peri-urban contexts in Thailand.

Wisdom in the Thai Literature of the Sukhothai Period:A Case Study of the Art of Descriptive Writing

Nipat Yamdate — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): Thai literature from the Sukhothai period demonstrates literary wisdom through the use of beautiful and artistically descriptive language. The research for this article aimed to examine the wisdom found in Sukhothai literature, focusing on the wisdom of the poets in the art of creating detailed descriptive language.

Methodology: This research was a qualitative study that focused on a critical analysis of Sukhothai period literature found in inscriptions and cosmological literary texts. The focus was on the art of using descriptive language. The analysis results were summarized and then compiled into this research article.

Main result: It was found that poets used descriptive imagery to convey abstract ideas and meanings that were difficult to comprehend clearly and concretely. It was also found that poets arranged the harmony of sounds and meanings in sentences to create aesthetics in storytelling. Furthermore, poets used numbers for descriptions by way of imagery, and hence, conveyed meaning in various ways, including using numbers to compare time periods, using numbers to convey content piece by piece, using numbers to explain mathematical results, and to represent quantity and convey meaning clearly and systematically. The poet’s art of using descriptive language, including the use of imagery, the devising of the harmony between sound and meaning in sentences and the use of numbers, demonstrates the wisdom of the poets in creating literary language that deserves to be recognized.

Relevance to Thai Studies: By understanding the wisdom of Thai poets from the Sukhothai period, this research contributes to raising awareness and appreciation for the value of Thai literature, which deserves preservation and study. This value, especially the beauty of Thai literary language, is a testament to the talent and creativity in the art of language use by Thai poets, worthy of recognition in both Thai and global society.

Conclusion: According to the research findings, Sukhothai poets had extensive knowledge and creativity in conveying beautiful and artistic language, particularly in conveying abstract and difficult-to-understand ideas that needed to be demonstrated clearly and concretely. The ability of the poets to create beautiful works using such descriptive language is the source of the enduring value of the literary texts from the Sukhothai period, which have remained relevant throughout time, from the past to the present.

Dynamics of the Presentation of Songkhla Old Town Identity in the Context of Tourism

Soisuda Chailek — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): Prior to 2007, Songkhla Old Town was largely unknown to tourists. At that time, Songkhla province was primarily recognized as a coastal city and a trading hub in southern Thailand. However, changes began in early 2007 when various events and festivals started to be held in the Songkhla Old Town area, attracting significant attention on social media. This research aimed to analyze the dynamics of identity presentation in Songkhla Old Town to understand how such identity is constructed within the context of tourism.

Methodology: This research examined documents and field data related to the presentation of the identity of Songkhla Old Town within the context of tourism. The study participants were selected using a targeted sampling method, which included representatives from the public, education and private sectors, along with civil society stakeholders in Songkhla Old Town. The study spanned three years, from 2021 to 2023, and employed the analytical framework of Identity, Social Space and Creative Folklore Theory.

Main result: The dynamics of presenting the identity of Songkhla Old Town can be analyzed through four key aspects in the context of tourism: the concept of the dynamics of presentation; the dynamics of the presenters; the dynamics of the content presented; and the dynamics of the presentation methods. These factors have influenced the physical and social spaces of Songkhla Old Town. Furthermore, it has been identified that Songkhla Old Town is presented with three distinct identities: recognition as a multicultural city; the aspiration to become a UNESCO World Heritage site; and being celebrated as a creative city.

Relevance to Thai Studies: This research examines southern Thai folklore as cultural knowledge, emphasizing the dynamic interplay among cultural capital, identification, and tourism-oriented representations. It demonstrates how this knowledge is reinterpreted and expanded within the context of contemporary Thai society.

Conclusion: The results highlight the dynamics of folklore, including how folklore is presented and the roles of inheritors. The study also emphasizes the identity of a city within the context of tourism.

Tension and Passion: Political Statements through Buddhist Iconography in the Art of Pratuang Emjaroen and Thawan Duchanee in the Cold War Era

Szu Ying Hsu — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): Buddhism is one of the fundamental aspects of Thai identity, and Buddhist iconography is often discussed within religious contexts. By momentarily stepping away from their role as sacred objects, the study for this paper sheds light on the underexplored socio-political perspective of Buddhist iconography in Thai art with respect to Cold War Thailand – the period that was packed with political tensions and social movements – focusing on Pratuang Emjaroen and Thawan Duchanee, whose art practices intersected with student movements and calls for freedom of speech. This study demonstrates how Buddhist iconography became a vehicle for political statements during the Cold War era.

Methodology: Based on iconology, this study highlights the socio-political connections between Buddhist iconography and the Cold War social landscape across three levels: “pre- conographical description,” “iconographical analysis,” and “iconological interpretation.” Combining multiple qualitative data with evidence sourced from the Asia Art Archive and the Rama IX Art Museum Foundation, artists’ family archives. The study involved fieldwork at galleries and cultural institutions, and close readings of Pratuang Emjaroen and Thawan Duchanee’s paintings during the 1970s.

Main result: The paper articulates how Buddhist iconography in the Cold War era operated as a political statement with four following findings. Firstly, two keywords capture the socio-political landscape of society during the Cold War: tension and passion. “Tension” refers to the conflict between opposing ideologies, manifested in volatile social upheavals and transformations, while “passion” reflects grassroots claims and the political statement of people at the level of civic awakening. Secondly, the case of Pratuang Emjaroen reveals “tension” in the student movement (1973), while “passion” is the artist’s commitment to give voice to ordinary people, as seen in Dharma and Adharma (1973), Red Morning Glory and Rotten Gun (1976). These paintings show Pratuang Emjaroen’s indictment of violence, mourning of the dead, and express a hope for an inclusive society. Another work, the Fasting Buddha (Sacrifice) (1976), reflects his empathy for the people who were suffering from extreme political tension. This practice indicates a significant breakthrough as Buddhist iconography shifts from holy serenity to a social commentary that mirrors social agitations. More specifically, the Buddha is interpreted as an anguished sufferer (with bullet holes in the face and a severed head), symbolizing the moral ethic trauma. Thirdly, Thawan Duchanee’s works underscore the tension between the public’s deep-rooted recognition of Buddhist iconography and artists’ autonomy as Thawan engaged Buddhist iconography with nudity and animal motifs to highlight the human paradox between the transcendent side and the secular side. For example, to critique the acts of cutting up and trafficking Buddha images, his work Untitled (1970-1971) fuses temples and stupas with nude figures. This innovation provoked considerable backlash, and his works were vandalized. Lastly, this paper argues that the Cold War also brought new economic activity, which directly benefited the growth of art exhibitions with non-institutional art groups (e.g., Dharma Group), bank and entrepreneurled patronage systems, and the emergence of art foundations (e.g., BIMA), fostering artistic freedom. These networks address “tension and passion” as a cultural duality between Cold War tensions and artists’ individualized statements.

Relevance to Thai Studies: The study explored the interaction between artists, Buddhist iconography and Cold War influence in a Thai context, thereby refining studies of the Cold War’s socio-political transformation and offering a new perspective on the analysis of Buddhist iconography.

Conclusion: Cold War Thailand was a crucible in which multiple differences and tensions coexisted. Although the student demonstrations ended in brutal repression, the Buddhist iconography of Pratuang Emjaroen and Thawan Duchanee have become a lasting cultural legacy, testifying to the passions of Thai people who strove for freedom of speech in the 1970s. The wave was not only personal but also owed to the social structural transition as seen in private sponsorship from emerging capitalists and non-institutional art groups, signaling a trend to a more inclusive society.

The Belief in Indra in the Early Era of the Chua Chet Ton’s Dynasty: A Case Study of King Kawila's Reign

Chankhanit Arvorn — 2026-06-26

Background and objective (s): The belief in Indra is based on one of the rituals for establishing the ruling class, as seen from the word “Inthraphisek” when the king performs a coronation. Some studies have applied the belief in Indra to the context of governance during the reign of King Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty, who had political relations with local kings in Lanna during the period of the country’s restoration. Therefore, this research aimed to study the belief in Indra from historical documents, literature, beliefs and rituals, together with evidence of artwork from the early period of the Chua Chet Ton Dynasty in the areas of Lampang, Lamphun and Chiang Mai, in order to search for traces of cultural practices and test the hypothesis that local kings of the Chua Chet Ton Dynasty were likely influenced by the belief in Indra from the Chakri Dynasty, with a primary focus on the context during the reign of King Kawila.

Methodology: The study used four groups of evidence: The first group was historical documentary data to study the background of King Kawila. The second group was the study of Buddhist literature, including translations of palm leaf/folded palm leaf scriptures, and Lanna Dharma scripts (Makamanawa built a pavilion, Phuk Thon and Inthalong Chaichat). The third group was to study beliefs and rituals of Inthakhil pillar worship in the areas of Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The fourth group was the study of the forms of art created during the 24th CE., including paintings, the Traibhumi picture books, Lanna Dharma scripts, and the sculpture of Indra holding a chakra weapon. The information and connections in creating the meaning of Indra for King Kawila, King Thammalangka and King Khamfan were then analyzed to examine the research hypothesis.

Main result: King Kawila played an important role in blending the belief in Indra from the Chakri Dynasty to create a cultural practice in Lamphun and Chiang Mai. This can be seen from the traces of 1) the name when he was crowned by K ing Rama I, which included the word “Ong In”; 2) the ritual and belief in worshiping the Inthakhil pillar, which combined the belief in ghosts with the belief in Indra, which may have adopted the idea of a city pillar as in Bangkok; and 3) the naming of Chiang Mai as “Rattanatingsa Apinwaburi”, which has the same meaning as the creation of “Rattanakosin” as the city of Indra during the reign of King Rama I. These traces were likely blended by King Kawila to create a cultural practice that emphasized the role of the new leader in uniting the common people. In addition, the study of literature and art has an example from the creation of the Lanna version of the Indra legend literature to emphasize Indra as the person who directs people’s behavior to be moral. As for the evidence in art, although this study still has unclear results, there are points that indicate that belief in Indra was adopted from the model of the Bangkok royal court, namely 1) Indra in the Traiphum picture book, Lanna Dharma script, the Fine Arts Department version, shows his body color as green, which is a symbol that probably originated in the Chao Phraya River basin; 2) The sculpture of Indra on the Erawan elephant, although the style is similar to ancient Lanna art in the Mangrai Dynasty, this Indra shows his hand holding a chakra weapon , which is a new concept that arose in the early Rattanakosin period.

Relevance to Thai Studies: This research article aims to study historical evidence, the literary legend of Indra, and the ritual worship of the Inthakhil pillar found in Chiang Mai, combined with the analysis of sculptures and paintings depicting Indra . This research shows the background of the belief in Indra that influenced the new ruling class, which will help to interpret the meaning of Indra in various dimensions.

Conclusion: King Kawila, as the new ruling class after the Lanna restoration, likely played a significant role in incorporating the belief in Indra into arts and culture. This is clearly seen from his name and the city of Chiang Mai, as well as the rituals related to the Inthakhil pillar. Another context that likely occurred during this period was the creation of literature about Indra that emphasized teaching the people to make merit within the framework of morality. In terms of artistic evidence, there are traces from the sculpture of Indra holding a chakra weapon. These traces show the creation of a kind of legitimacy of rule since King Kawila was a new power group that ruled Chiang Mai.