Cultural Dimensions of the Thai Social Movements

Abstract

This paper discuses changes in processes, contents, and forms of social movements in Thailand  within the past 10 years.  Conditions which enable the social movements to shade light on their cultural aspects include: 1) richness of cultural capital at local level. While political and economic fields are both occupied by the state and capitalists, the cultural field is the space where local people have an advantage. 2) The cooperation of alliances who have technical, academic, and social capital (network) such as academics from several fields, mass media, International NGOs. 3) Dissemination of international discourse on community rights, multiculturalism, localism, good governance and  4) Globalization of information allow more people to gain access to information.  Through website, for example, the movements  are able to broadcast their information, call for support, develop collective conscience and even organize rallies across time and space.  The conditions mentioned above, to a certain level, are enable the movements to carry on a battle in the social and academic fields. The most significant part is the expansion of city middle class alliances/network. However, the cultural aspects laid out by the movements may be, at present, incapable of resisting political and economic power.