STATE OF KNOWLEDGE AND ORIGINS STAGE ANALYSIS OF ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUMS IN THAILAND: A LIFE CYCLE PERSPECTIVE

Phisutthilaksana Boonto; Ross King

Authors

Phisutthilaksana Boonto Silpakorn University
Ross King University of Melbourne

Keywords:

Ethnographic Museum, Life Cycle, Origins Stage, State of Knowledge

Abstract

This research article aimed to: 1. review the state of knowledge on ethnographic museum studies in Thailand by employing the life cycle concept as a framework for classifying research, and 2. analyze the Origins stage patterns and distribution of ethnographic museums using the Thailand Museum Database of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre (Public Organization). This study employed a qualitative descriptive research design. The population and sample comprised two components. Part 1 consisted of 266 museum-related research studies in the National Research Repository and other relevant sources covering 1980-2020; purposive sampling using keyword screening and three inclusion criteria yielded a sample of 15 studies. Part 2 consisted of 1,583 museums in the Thailand Museum Database; criterion-based selection using the keyword “ethnic” in the content type field yielded 147 museums as the total analytical units. Research instruments included a checklist for classifying studies by life cycle stage and a data recording form for collecting museum information. Data collection was conducted through searches of both databases. Data analysis employed content analysis together with descriptive statistics, namely frequency and percentage.

The findings revealed that the state of knowledge on ethnographic museums in Thailand remains unbalanced across life cycle stages. Most studies concentrated in the Origins stage (40.00%), focusing on architecture and design driven by state policy, and the Conserving stage (33.33%), focusing on community participation. The Uncertainty stage, which is the stage where museums most require understanding of for their survival, accounted for only 6.67% of studies, representing the most critical knowledge gap identified. Regarding Origins stage patterns, the 147 Thai ethnographic museums show continuous establishment from 1965 onward, divisible into four periods with different leading managing organizations: state agencies and educational institutions in the early period, monasteries in the growth period, communities in the peak period, and an increase in private individuals in the stabilization period. In terms of distribution, communities and monasteries together formed the primary managing organizations at 56.42%. The North had the highest number with 56 museums (38.10%), and the Tai Dam group had the highest number among individual ethnic groups with 24 museums (16.33%).

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