Problematizing Local Knowledge Preservation of the Complex Social Assemblage in Globalizing Tai Lue communities in Chiang Kham

This article proposes to look at local knowledge preservation as a continual and contested process rather than as a static social activity. The preservation of local knowledge should be studied by situating it within a complex set of relationships among various social actors and organizations, and also within specific spatio-temporal conditions: in this case, the Tai Lue people of Chiang Kham, Phayao, Thailand. The local knowledge of the Tai Lue in Chiang Kham has been revived in accordance with the distinct desires of the local people, local politicians, academic institutions, and local and national governmental sectors. These various agents and organizations make up a social assemblage, in which local knowledge revival and preservation projects take place within a space where distinct cultural, political, and economic meanings are contested. This paper seeks to examine this social activity using the analytical perspective of glocalization. Taking a glocalization approach, local knowledge preservation is problematized as a culturally and socially instrumentalized activity that is pursued by some actors for political and economic identity negotiation. This will be complemented with a strategic essentialism analysis, which can help better illustrate how Tai Lue people utilize their local knowledge to benefit their positions within an increasingly globalized Chiang Kham. Keywords: Glocalization, Local knowledge, Social assemblage, Strategic essentialism, Tai Lue

The Space of Intimacy as The Most Important Islamic Cultural Value in Traditional Iranian Architecture

This study aims to carry out a critical reading of individual spaces of traditional Iranian houses. Through recourse to expert opinion, seven traditional houses in Iran have been chosen. A deductive content analysis is used to assess space syntaxes by way of three steps: preparation, organization, and the final report. In the preparation step, the individual and family territory in Iranian culture is defined. In the organization phase, territories are classified by reviewing plans, maps, and making visual observations. Finally, conclusions are reached on the situation of privacy and individuality in the houses. It is suggested that family privacy is the main function of traditional Iranian houses. Despite the fact that spaces could be used as personal and individual territories, in practice this is not so, and individualism and individual values have been forgotten. Individuality is not considered as valuable in the sense of one who needs his/her own territory; rather, this is determined in relation with other people. Keywords: Mahram Territories, Personal Spaces, Space Syntax, Territoriality, Traditional Iranian House

The Stateless Tai Lue in Chiang Kham

The Tai Lue in Chiang Kham have been of interest to scholars since the publications of Michael Moerman, an American anthropologist from the University of California in Los Angeles, in the 1960s. The most notable pieces concern ethnic identity since Moerman focused on both the internal and external relations of the Tai Lue. Later scholars and graduate students focused on tourism among the Tai Lue, due to the revival of their history and the construction of their ethnic identity. However, the issue of statelessness among them has still not been examined, even though countless numbers of Tai Lue still live without Thai citizenship. Therefore, this article deals with the issue of stateless Tai Lue in Chiang Kham, based on our fieldwork in 2013-2015. We find that the consequences of the creation of modern nation-states and Thailand’s strict national security policies have led to a lack of citizenship among countless numbers of Tai Lue in Chiang Kham, despite their exceptional service to Thailand’s national security during the Cold War. Keywords: Tai Lue, Stateless, Displaced Thai, Citizenship

A Comparative Study on Child Abuse and the Absence of Legal Protections for Male Child Sex Abuse Victims in Major South East Asian countries

The focal point of this paper is in highlighting the grim picture in dominant Asian countries China, India, and Pakistan where no practical application of the law is found to protect against the sexual abuse of children, particularly underage boys. An analysis regarding the conditions of sexual abuse in the aforementioned countries is carried out using the scarce reports issued by national governments, which will be supplemented with information from prominent NGOs and media reports. Thereafter, certain gaps in the justice system and law enforcement are identified. Simultaneously, the Western perspective is studied to ascertain how this issue is being addressed in Western societies and to what extent this heinous crime has impacted the lives of individuals. Finally, there is deliberation as to what the East could learn from Western practices for curbing the often-hidden menace of male child sex abuse. Keywords: Child abuse, Child sex abuse, Comparative study, Eastern practice, Gaps in justice system, Law enforcement, Male child abuse, Media reports

The Production and Maintenance of Protracted Statelessness: An Analysis of the Language and Practice of the Nationality Law in Thailand and Brunei Darussalam

In theory, nationality law that stipulates criteria and requirements for the granting of citizenship should address racial or ethnic division and the distinction between immigrant and indigene status. Instead, modern citizenship contradicts this, and conversely becomes an apparatus for state procedures of exclusion. In this article, I have focused on and assessed the language of seclusion and the practice of division found in the nationality law of Thailand and Brunei. I argue that the phenomenon of protracted statelessness is not happening incidentally, but rather deliberately produced through the language and practice of nationality law. The study concludes by highlighting two main factors that contribute to the increasing number of protracted stateless persons: first, the explicit and implicit language of exclusion in the law that becomes institutionalized practice; second, the opaqueness of the language used can facilitate practices that are not aligned with the law. This study sheds light on the nature of language and practice found in nationality law – a factor that has attracted little attention from relevant scholars, yet it is inherent in the production and maintenance of protracted statelessness in Thailand and Brunei Darussalam. Keywords: Brunei Darussalam, Language and practice, Nationality law, protracted statelessness, Thailand

Contemporary Thai Primary Schools through the Years

Amidst the various educational reforms implemented in Thai education system is a burning question of the current state of schools in the country. What has been accomplished and what is there to improve? This paper utilizes a qualitative research design in exploring the current state of Thai primary schools in Thailand. Specifically, it employs critical discourse analysis to extract relevant data from pre-service teacher’s coursebooks. Additionally, informal interviews were conducted to supplement and provide further information on the areas of school learning resources, daily routines, school activities, classroom rules, and new functions of teachers aside from teaching. Observations and responses were coded and grouped into themes. The results of the study have shown some progress along learning resources, several changes in daily routines and school activities, a more comprehensive classroom policies that include social and cultural rules, and multi-faceted functions of Thai teachers. Keywords: Pre-service teachers, School resources and daily routines, School activities, Classroom rules, Responsibilities of teachers, Thai primary schools

The Changing Forest Utilization and Management of Mlabri Tribe at Bokluea District, Nan Province, Thailand

This study investigates the changes in forest utilization and management of the Mlabri tribe in Phufa Village, Nan Province, Thailand. This research utilizes quantitative and qualitative methods, such as interviews, community meetings, focus groups and participant observation. The population in the Mlabri village is around 40. It was found that the Mlabri villagers utilized 13 groups to collect 92 different species of forest products to earn a total income of 490,000 baht per year. For resource management, the forest communities have two forms of forest management. These are: (a) a belief model that governs the supernatural mysteries; and (b) a modern community-based management system, which reflects modern rules and regulations from the local authorities. Since the Mlabri people share the same space with other communities, they need to follow the rules set by the owners of the area. Based on the type of forests, the Mlabri tribe utilizes forest management under the concepts of conservation and awareness-raising. The Mlabri people changed from using forest resources for subsistence and exchanged for items that they could not obtain, such as iron, salt and tobacco. At present, the people in the Mlabri tribe have become labourers and agricultural workers. Hunting and gathering forest products are just for earning some extra income and relaxation. Although hunting and gathering is no longer a primary activity among the Mlabri, it is an activity that improves the quality of their life. It also creates a new identity for the Mlabri tribe, which changes the context of the Mlabri society while making the story of the "people living with the forest" interesting. Keywords: Mlabri tribe, hunting and gathering society, utilization and forest management

Gender Paradox and Women’s Spatiality: A Case Study of “Mothers Accompanying Children in Education” at the Chiang Mai Chinese Christian Church

This article explores a group of new Chinese migrant “peidu mamas” or “mothers accompanying children in education” in the Chiang Mai city, Thailand. By using ethnography as the research methodology, this article examines the gender role and women’s spatiality issues that exist between the church and the community. After interviewing informants and doing participation observation at Chiang Mai Huaren Jidu Church for several months, the researchers unravel how the “peidu mamas” in the church have faced an extreme level of gender paradox and gender hierarchy while participating in the church activities. These “peidu mamas” strategically utilize Christian interpretation by deploying the traditional Chinese concept with regards to “obedience” and “reserved patriarchal bargaining.” It is an attempt to reduce the inferior status encountered by the female Chinese Christian “peidu mamas” and to negotiate the paradoxical Confucianism beliefs regarding gender hierarchy and family values. Keywords: Gender paradox, Patriarchal bargain, Spatiality

Adoption of E-learning System in Higher Education Environments: Evidence from Modified UTAUT Model

E-Learning has been an exceptional support for learners across the globe. Many people are using electronic media for different purposes. Hence, learners, especially students, can benefit from the electronic system as well. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the adoption level of e-learning systems by using the extended model of UTAUT2. The data was collected using the survey method, and for this purpose, the five-point Likert scale has been used. The statistical techniques applied to the data set were confirmatory factor analysis and partial least square structural equation modeling. The results reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, habit, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge sharing are positively linked with behavioral intention to use e-learning systems except for hedonic motivation. The modified model adds two new predictors: knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing that influence students' acceptance of e-learning systems. Therefore, it will provide the educationists and policymakers a new insight into whether students are willing to adopt the E-learning system for daily use. Keywords: E-Learning System, Behavioral intention, Knowledge acquisition, Knowledge sharing, Higher education, PLS-SEM

Developing Communication Skills through Raising Intercultural Competence in EFL Classroom

This article discusses the teaching of intercultural and transcultural awareness together with language learning in foreign language contexts. Ensuing a brief discussion of what language, culture and its forms mean, we illustrate the relationship between intercultural and transcultural competence, and the development of communication skills in the foreign language framework for teaching EFL (English as Foreign Language) students. The author draws attention to the importance of developing students’ intercultural research abilities utilizing the transcultural communication competence notion. We show how intercultural orientations and transcultural communication competence affect the students’ framework and their career dimensions. The author illuminates the activities and approaches that develop communication skills. The article concludes with an underscoring of the critical challenges that teachers encounter and their potential solutions. Keywords: Intercultural communication, Transcultural awareness, Social identity, Student attitudes, Cross cultural, EFL classrooms, diversity