Multicultural Identity of Rural Thai Society in Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award

Abstract

 The objectives of the research were to (1) analyze folkloristics in the Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award that reflect the identity of Thai rural people in the north, south, northeast and central regions and (2) analyze multicultural society in rural Thailand in the Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award. By studying the literature that has been awarded the Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award, which includes 11 stories. The finding of the analytical found that folkloristics reflects the identity of Thai rural people in the north, south, northeast and central regions had been conducted from settlement, local history, local venerable people, local architecture, folk beliefs, folk tradition, folk performance, local dishes, local equipment, local herbs, folk tales, folk legends, dramatization, giving birth, children’s skits, silk worming and spinning cotton. In the multicultural society in rural Thailand, the Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award presented the following issues: (1) Northeastern writers present cultural images of "tributes" through Pub Lang village, which have been abused by culture; (2) The northern writers present a picture of the Pga K’nyau minority, which the outer society sees as "low-priced laborers." (3) The southern writers highlight the differences between rural and urban people. (4) The central region writers present an image of Chinese culture in Thailand by suggesting that both cultures can blend together seamlessly. Thus, it shows that the images presented through the Wan Kaew Youth Literature Award are reflections of the lives of the villagers.