Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Sciences

Editorial

Thanapan Laiprakobsup (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

Embracing Deathivity: The Exploration of Modern Deathscape through Death Activities in Contemporary Bangkok

Varakorn Wimuttichai, Pavika Srirattanaban (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

A distinctive feature of modern society is the death-denying society, where decisions about how someone dies often fall into the hands of medical professionals and religious institutions. This article adopts the theoretical framework proposed by Tony Walter, positing that each society has its unique "deathway," influenced by local factors and historical backgrounds. The investigation of deathways specific to each locality is therefore significant. In this article, I investigate the deathscape of Thai society, encompassing a multicultural rooted and collective death culture foundation. I also explore how Thais embrace activities related to death topic in modern urban areas; which are Death festivals, the exhibition of art sculpture about death, the cemetery walk tour, and cafes with a death theme. These observations aim to underscore the significance of embracing "deathivity" among urban dwellers, reshaping the perception of death through the power of digital technology and publicly accessible expressions of death. Finally, I will point out the pattern of interacting with modern death, which is the arrangement or learning about death through the experience of individuals. Another meaning is the attempt to find meaning and value in life, leading to the embrace of death that appears as a transformative space. This space consists of two parts: one is the space for internal growth, and two is the space for transforming the landscape of death into a new way of socializing, challenging, and questioning death.

The Power of Hunger Strike: How Do Hunger Strikes Work?

Seksit Yaemsanguansak (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines hunger strikes through the compilation and synthesis of various findings. The article discusses on three interrelated issues: First, it argues against the notion that hunger strikes are effective only under certain conditions, such as in democracies or when directed at those who care about a hunger striker. Second, it proposes an explanation for how a hunger strike works. Finally, it explores the factors associated with the success of hunger strikes. The article surveys modern cases of hunger strikes to confirm that they have been employed in diverse contexts. In terms of outcomes, hunger strikes can potentially lead to the granting of demands even under non-democratic contexts. The article suggests that hunger strikes have important working mechanisms, including mobilizing communication interest, inspiring support and sympathy, coercion, and deflecting responsibility status, allowing them to remain effective even when deployed in non-democratic contexts or against those who view the hunger striker as an enemy.

Policies and Networking to Reduce Gun Violence

Piyaporn Tunneekul, Vachiravitch Ittithanasuphavitch (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The research study on Policies and Networking to Reduce Gun Violence reveals a variety of policies that can effectively reduce gun violence. The approaches are simple and effective, and they include new sorts of legislation as well as those based on community public health policies. In Thailand, appropriate gun violence prevention policies consist of community and network-based policies, behavior modification and peaceful policies, responsible media use, public health and mental health policies, legal policies to suppress illegal firearms, and law enforcement policies. This includes forming a model community for reducing gun violence through a community compact known as a “Community Constitution to Reduce Gun Violence.”

A Study of Thai Visitors’ Learning and Engagement Behaviors in Science Museum

Pimsiri Aroonsri (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

One of the goals for informal educational institutions, science museums included, is to provide a space for learning and inspiration. For science museums to achieve this goal, they must take into consideration a learning conducive exhibition design and visitors’ learning needs. Realizing that the current knowledge regarding Thai visitor’s learning and engagement behaviors is limited, this qualitative study attempts to investigate levels of visitor interaction with a science exhibition and contextual factors contributing to visitor interaction. Findings reveal 80 percent of participants showed engagement at a transitioning level according to Barriault and Pearson’s visitor engagement framework. In addition, interview results point to several engagement enabling factors related to an exhibition’s ability to attract visitors’ attention and aid visitors’ comprehension of exhibition’s takeaways. Overall, the findings of this study point to the need for better science communication and finding the right balance between entertainment and learning when designing an exhibition.

Transformation of Economic - Cultural Capital to Political Capital: Case Study of Bullfighting Phatthalung Province

Suttichai Rakjan (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This qualitative study through a purposive interview with key informants on Phatthalung bullfighting for gathering people in social networks and the local politicians to play their roles in bullfighting aimed to analyze the transformation of the economic and cultural capital of bullfighting to the political capital of Phatthalung local politicians. Employed by Pierre Bourdieu's concept of political economy and capital, the study answered the question of how the local politicians transformed the economic and cultural capital of bullfighting into the political capital.

The study revealed the following results. 1. The economic capital of fighting bulls was related to networks and cultural capital on knowledge, wisdom, fighting bull breeding, and bullfighting. Good breeds of fighting bulls, organizing a fighting bull farm to breed, and training fighting bulls were available in Phatthalung Province. 2. The gambling economy capital was important to generate benefits for valuable gambling money and was the focus of bullfighting networks. The local politicians had the advantage of a large amount of the economic capital.

The local politicians had combined their power with the social power to build a connection for organizing bullfighting, promoting an image of respectful reputation and credibility, and leading them into a local charismatic leader.

The local politicians used the combined cultural and economic capital to indirectly maintain their voting bases where many people were their voters

Impacts, Effects and Consequences of the 2020-2021 Youth Movement on Thai Politics and Society

Kanokrat Lertchoosakul (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The 2020-2021 youth movement in Thailand is an example of those who succeeded in mobilising mass protest but failed to achieve their demands. During the two years of protest, they could not reach structural changes, either dissolving the conservative government, constitution, or monarchy reform. Nonetheless, this research finds five significant effects, impacts, and consequences of the youth uprising after the protest ended. These include the formation of self-actualizing citizenship among younger people, the continuing active old leadership and new generation of leadership, the success in liberalising mainstream media and other generations, institutionalising youth political parties and long-term legal and policy changes.

Thai Law Enforcement of Obligations under the ASEAN Agreements on Environment

Suraphol Srivithaya (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

This research aims to study historical development and basic principles of obligations under the ASEAN agreements on environment in the ASEAN Social and Cultural Community (ASCC) and the measures of Thai law enforcement to comply with the obligations of ASEAN agreements on environment and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). Moreover, to analyze the mechanism of Thai law enforcement and ASEAN environmental dispute resolution, comparing that of the European Union, and to recommend policies and measures to develop Thai law improvements for implementing ASEAN agreements on the environment efficiently and effectively in Thailand and the ASEAN Community. The research applied a qualitative research methodology by documentary research methods using the collection of Thai and English documentary data and focus group meeting for the data collection from agencies and experts concerned by in-depth interview 27 key informants, dividing into 3 groups by purposive sampling according to the research objectives: (1) experts of state agencies, (2) experts of private agencies, and (3) experts academic institutions in order to undertake the triangulation of data collection process according to qualitative research methods and then proceeding data analysis by content analysis, logical analysis, and comparative analysis on Thai law enforcement complying to the obligations of ASEAN environmental agreements, the mechanism of environmental Thai law enforcement and dispute resolutions, as well as organizing the academic seminar to enquire opinions and suggestions from related experts and agencies, leading to complete research conclusion and recommendations. The results of this research found that Thailand has already implemented its obligations under the ASEAN environmental agreements and cooperation, as well as those of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). In case of conflicts on compliance with the obligations of environmental agreements, there are many mechanisms of law enforcement in Thailand and other ASEAN members, of international law and ASEAN dispute resolution on environment, such as Dispute Settlement Mechanism under the 2008 ASEAN Charter, and 2004 ASEAN Protocol on Enhanced Dispute Settlement Mechanism (EDSM), as well as mechanisms of dispute resolution at the global level, such as WTO dispute settlement mechanism, international arbitration or International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Politics of the South Vietnamese Student Movement: Competing Nationalisms and Cold War Influences

Morragotwong Phumplab (Author) — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0700

The purpose of this research is to examine the politics of the student movement in South Vietnam during the Cold War, as well as the intricate and dynamic nationalism that emerged from the students' social and political activities. This research encompasses three primary topics: the evolution of the student movement in South Vietnam, the cultivation and management of education by the Saigon government with support from the United States, and the various student movement factions associated with political and social transformations since the establishment of the Republic of Vietnam. This research employs historical approaches by examining primary and secondary sources from both Vietnam and America including newspapers, journals, poems, songs of the South Vietnamese students. The study's findings revealed that there were two distinct eras of the student movement: the First Republic, led by Ngo Dinh Diem, and the Second Republic, headed by Nguyen Van Thieu. The student movement was multifaceted and intricate, not solely focused on advocating for political philosophy, but rather influenced by the prevailing domestic political issues, as South Vietnam experienced significant political turmoil amid escalating violence and warfare. These elements influenced both the state's retaliatory actions and the mode of student activity. The student movement comprised several factions, some collaborating with the state while others opposed it. With the help of the United States, education was liberalized, which greatly accelerated the expansion of the student movement. South Vietnamese students exhibited nationalism not just by opposing the government and America, but also by striving to construct a nation amidst the backdrop of war and challenging the authoritarian regime through discussions on nation-building, patriotism, and the influence of native and foreign cultures. Nevertheless, following 1975, the Vietnamese student movement ceased to have a political impact comparable to its position during the Cold War.