Community Product Creation through Cultural Capital and Elderly Wisdom in Talat Mai Subdistrict, Wiset Chai Chan District, Ang Thong Province

Abstract

This research objectives were aiming to investigate the cultural capital and elderly wisdom as well as to create products based on such capital and wisdom in Talat Mai Subdistrict, Wiset Chai Chan District, Ang Thong Province. The target group consisting of fifty-five persons out of which, five were community leaders from five villages. Ten of the respondents were community agents, five sub-district administrative officials and five key informants. Research instrument was the semi-structured questionnaire and the guideline questionnaire. The information was deeply analyzed by descriptive technic. Research results indicated that the cultural capital and wisdom of the elderly in Talat Mai Subdistrict exhibited six categories; namely agriculture, craftsmanship, food, traditional healer, tradition and ritual, and the performing arts. These categories were divided into two groups, one could be traced to community root whereas the other was built on new learning. The cultural capital and wisdom management in the community was systematic. Such management revealed necessary steps that product creation needed to go through and selected by analyzing the criteria, indicators, and representative levels as well as selection by the community based on their preparedness and needs. The search and selection would yield the optimum cultural capital and wisdom of sweet food for the community and could be developed into contemporary products with original identity.