Journal of Mekong Societies

Community-Based Research in Thailand: From Participatory Action Research to Democratizing Knowledge and Decolonizing Methodology

Chayan Vaddhanaphuti — 2026-08-31

This article analyzes the evolution of community-based research (CBR) in Thailand through a power/knowledge lens. It examines three models—community forest research (CFR), Thailand research fund–community-based research (TRF-CBR), and Thai Baan Research (TBR)—as distinct configurations of participatory research, local knowledge, and political engagement. It shows how CFR recognized local knowledge yet remained externally framed; how TRF-CBR fostered community learning while bounded by state rationalities; and how TBR enabled villagers to pursue epistemic justice. Together, the three models show how local knowledge has contested state hegemonic knowledge, as villagers seek partial autonomy from market dependency, navigate agrarian transitions shaped by broader political-economic forces, and reclaim epistemic justice through research.

Navigating through Uncertainties: Dwelling in the Transition of Thai Society

Pinkaew Laungaramsri — 2026-08-31

This article interrogates the multifaceted nature of uncertainty pervading Thai society over the past decade. Rather than approaching uncertainty as an external metric, we conceptualize it as intrinsically woven into the fabric of lived experience—reflecting how individuals navigate and make meaning within rapidly transforming social, economic, and environmental landscapes. The turbulent reconfigurations of Thai society have generated novel forms of precarity while intensifying existing vulnerabilities, compelling citizens to develop adaptive strategies for survival and meaning-making. Our research delves into five critical domains where uncertainty has profoundly reshaped Thai lifeworlds: the disruption of urban labor regimes; the increasing precariousness of agricultural land tenure; the volatility of political institutions; the acceleration of religious and consumption practices; and the environmental uncertainties manifested through recurring haze crises. Through comparative analysis across these domains, we illuminate the diverse epistemological frameworks and tactical responses employed by differently situated individuals confronting uncertainty. This approach reveals uncertainty not merely as a condition to be managed, but as a productive site where new social relationships, knowledge systems, and imaginative futures are actively negotiated and contested. The study contributes to broader theoretical conversations by demonstrating how uncertainty functions simultaneously as a technology of governance and a space of possibility—where dominant power structures are both reinforced and challenged through everyday practices of adaptation, resistance, and aspiration.

Harnessing Wind Power: A Socio-Technical Assemblage of Wind Energy in Thailand

Prasert Rangkla — 2026-08-31

This article examines wind power development in Thailand as a contingent socio-technical assemblage. Rather than adopting a teleological or technocentric perspective, it highlights how renewable energy prospects emerge from the entanglement of sociopolitical and material conditions. Drawing on qualitative research conducted at the edge of the Korat Highlands, the study analyzes how wind energy projects are constituted through knowledge practices, institutional reforms, and material infrastructures. These projects become investible through processes of long-term measurement, data processing, and capacity factor calculation. Such practices intersect with regulatory changes that enabled private generation under power purchase agreements, supported by feed-in tariffs and subsidies. Technological advances—particularly the deployment of IEC Class 3 turbines—have extended feasibility into low-wind contexts. Yet turbine production and installation remain materially dependent on fossil fuel and other extractive resources. By foregrounding these socio-material entanglements, this article demonstrates that wind power development emerges from the interdependence of knowledge, socio-political processes, and material elements. The intensive material and energy demand of such projects is closely tied to extractive industries, contributing to cumulative energy systems. The intertwined relationship between fossil fuels and renewables challenges deterministic narratives of energy transition framed as straightforward “substitution.”

Inclusive Metadata for a Diverse Digital Future: Designing Interoperable and Culturally-responsive GLAM Systems

Wirapong Chansanam — 2026-08-31

This study advances metadata design in the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) sector by developing a unified, ethically grounded, and technically interoperable framework tailored to the ASEAN cultural heritage context. Addressing persistent challenges in metadata interoperability, the research integrates international standards—such as Dublin Core, CIDOC-CRM, PREMIS, EAD, and FOAF—with culturally-responsive innovations, including indigenous protocols, inheritor fields, and post-custodial metadata practices. A hybrid methodology was employed, combining thematic analysis of existing ASEAN GLAM metadata practices with case studies involving Indonesian colonial records and Thai multilingual archives. The ASEAN GLAM Repositories system was developed as a prototype validation platform to operationally test the proposed metadata framework, featuring modular metadata categories (core, geo spatial, technical, temporal), multilingual and script-aware display, and technologies such as OAI-PMH, JSON API integration, and blockchain-based provenance tracking. Results show the framework preserved 98 percent metadata integrity and supported 47 minority languages across six scripts while improving user engagement and institutional interoperability. Although initially developed for the ASEAN region, the framework’s modular architecture and adherence to global standards indicate strong potential for adaptation in diverse international contexts. This research contributes a scalable, culturally-inclusive solution for digital heritage management, enhancing equitable access, ethical stewardship, and long-term preservation of global cultural memory.

The Algorithmic Assembly Line: How YouTube Shapes Thai YouTubers’ Career Trajectory into More Disciplined Work

Karnpitcha Apiwansanong — 2026-08-31

YouTubers are often viewed as exemplars of work autonomy and creative freedom, making this career very popular among young adults in Thai society. This perception has positioned YouTubing as a dream job that enables individuals to earn income while staying true to themselves. The present study explores the career trajectories of Thai YouTubers, from their initial period of autonomy to becoming more disciplined workers in response to the platform’s evolving nature. Drawing on in-depth interviews with eight long-experienced YouTubers, it finds that platform capitalism significantly influences career trajectories, identity, and social status within the digital production system. The findings suggest that Thai YouTubers navigate the complexities of entrepreneurial labor, balancing brand image, follower relationships, sponsorships, and self-identity within the constraints of an unpredictable and evolving digital labor market. Challenging the romanticized view of YouTubing as pure creative freedom, this study argues that the sustained autonomy of Thai YouTubers is paradoxically achieved through self-imposed discipline and self-exploitation. This reveals how platform capitalism subtly transforms creative pursuits into demanding entrepreneurial labor, where “freedom” necessitates constant adaptation to algorithmic pressures for visibility and income.

Consumer Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Certified Traditional Processed Fish Products in Cambodia

Ra Thorng — 2026-08-31

Traditional fish products (TFPs) are a crucial component of the Cambodian diet, providing essential protein and dietary iron. This study investigated consumption preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for certified TFPs among young urban consumers amid changing dietary habits. An online survey assessed demographics, consumption patterns, and purchase determinants among 478 university students from Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and Chi-square tests. Findings indicate high baseline consumption, with 86.8 percent recently purchasing TFPs and 77 percent consuming them weekly; dried fish, fish sauce, and fermented fish (Prohok) were most popular. Price, convenience, and taste drive purchases, while health concerns are secondary despite awareness of food safety risks. Nearly 80 percent expressed a willingness to pay a premium for products certified to display the Cambodia Quality Seal (CQS). Chi-square tests revealed that age and household income were significantly associated with WTP (P < 0.05), and gender had a significant association with health concerns (P < 0.05), while demographics showed no statistically significant relationship with consumption frequency. Strategies should focus on improving accessibility, packaging, and targeted food safety campaigns highlighting CQS certification.

“Gay-ray” Boys: A Study of Gay-ray Masculinities Among High School Boys in Thailand

Lilit Worawutsunthorn — 2026-08-31

Gay-ray masculinity is a phenomenon that has had a novel, unlikely impact on Thai high school boys’ masculinity practices in recent times. Within the historical context of the student political movement in 2020 that challenged the ideology of heteronormativity in the schools, this article aims to demonstrate the impact of gay-ray masculinity in the alteration of hegemonic masculinity and heteronormative practices among high school boys by utilizing multiple lenses of masculinity, internet meme studies, and queer transformative spaces theory. This study used school-based and online-based ethnography with focus group interviews of five self-proclaimed gay-ray boys as data-collecting methods. The results unveiled the influence of gay memes in their everyday practices, like the online communication and the peer interaction called “gay play.” The gay plays required the contexts of intimacy and disclosure to perform, which affected their homosocialization within the group. These practices may be interpreted as having a negative impact on gender equality ideology, but they also shed light on the new possibility of creating new spaces for queering the school’s heteronormativity and question the attachment between sexuality and gender.

Vietnamese Cultural Influences on Learning Styles of English-Language Learners

Phan Thi Ngoc Le — 2026-08-31

There are great differences between individualist and collectivist societies’ typical cultural values, which are evident in language, culture, and communication. Thus, it is inevitable that Vietnamese students’ learning styles, which still retain aspects of Vietnamese culture, will have a significant impact on their ability to attain English language proficiency. From these perspectives, the present study was conducted to understand how Vietnamese culture affects the learning styles of English-language learners. To achieve the above purpose, I employed classroom observations, end-of-semester interviews, learner journals, and comparative methodologies with the participation of 100 students from four English classes that I directly taught at Vietnam National University. This article reveals some cultural traits influencing Vietnamese students’ learning styles, such as high-context communication, saving face, and collectivism reflected in language, all of which have an impact on English instruction and learning. When studying English, it may be challenging for students to identify these differences at first, which could lead to misunderstandings or poor judgment on the part of teachers. I hope that this study can help create an awareness in teachers of these unique characteristics of Vietnamese students’ learning styles to help them get beyond cultural barriers during the English learning process.