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LAPTHANANON, Pinit
Visiting Research Fellow
Division of Integrated Area Studies
Cultural Anthropology

Research Interests

Currently, I conduct my research projects at the Social Research Institute, Chulalongkorn University, in 3 main themes: ‘Community Empowerment and Rural Development in Thailand’, ‘Tourism Development on Islands and its Social Impacts’, and ‘The Role of Development Monks and Social Change in Northeastern Thailand’. My current research projects are all long-term field studies using qualitative approach. I also have to teach post-graduate students for various subjects including ‘research methodology’, ‘development and social change in Thailand’, and ‘social impacts on development projects’.

My leading long-term project is ‘The Role of Development Monks and Social Change in Northeastern Thailand’. I have been studying this project for more than two decades. My first research on this theme was conducted in 1983 when I was studying M.A. at Chulalongkorn University, and it was published by the university in 1986. In that research, I interviewed 38 development monks in 8 provinces in the Northeastern region of Thailand. Six years later I conducted my second research during 1989 and 1991. I interviewed 96 development monks in the whole region. My last research was conducted during 2003 and 2004. I interviewed 56 development monks in the whole region as well. Additionally, I arranged a 3-days seminar in last February (2005) in order to give a chance for development monks to exchange their knowledge and experiences of long-time working closely with local people. There were 84 monks attending the seminar, including development monks and monks who have been interested in an approach of community development. With all these basic data, my study will go on to analyze and synthesize the changing roles of Northeastern development monks and social change in the long period of more than two decades. Moreover, due to the fact that I have already supported to build up a primary network of development monks in the Northeast, I will encourage them to cooperate and work with each other in order to provide an alternative development for local people.

Joint Research Project

Seminar/Symposium

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