The Institute of Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University awarded the 2023 Thai Heritage Conservation Agency Outstanding Award.
Newswise — Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Thai Studies received the Outstanding Thai Heritage Conservation Agency Award for the year 2023 from the Thai Heritage Conservation Day Steering Committee, Department of Fine Arts .on the occasion of Thai Heritage Conservation Day, April 2, 2023, which is also the birthday of Birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The award is given to individuals and organizations who have accumulated works in the field of Thai arts and culture and conservation of Thai heritage. This year, there were 26 winners in the individual category and only 1 agency category.Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University. Moreover, Professor Sunait Chutintaranond, Director of the Center for Multicultural Studies and Social Innovation at the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn University, received the 2023 Outstanding Individual Thai Heritage Conservation Award.
Assoc. Professor Rittirong Jiwakanon, Director of the Institute of Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University, explained how the Institute has been working to conserve Thai heritage for over 40 years, accumulated through the work of former professors and culminating in a well-established reputation that the Institute of Thai Studies is the hub of information comprehensive information on arts and culture. Currently, the Institute is becoming more involved in collaboration with agencies related to arts and culture, boasting not only in preserving knowledge, but also in applying it so that it is more widely used. The Institute’s current work involves surveying and collecting data from Wat Arun Ratchawararam, a collaboration between researchers from the Institute of Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University, the Department of Fine Arts and the Faculty of Engineering at Chulalongkorn University, to obtain information and knowledge about areas of the Wat Arun which are closed to the public in the form of virtual reality. This project will also contribute greatly to the country’s tourism industry.
Director of the Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University
Roles and mission of the Institute of Thai Studies
The Institute of Thai Studies aims to strengthen the roles of the Institute to make them more comprehensive. The Institute has very good cultural capital in terms of data and knowledge, especially in the fields of arts and culture, Thai dance, language, literature and traditions, all of which are the result of the work of researchers in the field. The goal is to conduct research that meets the needs of society and can be disseminated to the public.
In addition, the Institute of Thai Studies has also collaborated with various ministries to help develop policies, such as cooperating with the Ministry of Culture to develop Thailand’s textile industry and registering intangible cultural heritage with UNESCO. At the same time, the Institute’s research network contributes to its efforts, notably through academic conferences, allowing researchers and academics to constantly collaborate and support each other. The Institute also publishes academic journals in Thai and English. The Institute of Thai Studies is the only English journal on Thai studies in Thailand known worldwide.
Platforms to access the Institute of Thai Studies
Assoc. Professor Rittirong said the Institute of Thai Studies is accessible on several platforms, including:
- Facebook: a channel for news, Thai studies knowledge and Thai studies conference news
- Website: a collection of academic articles on Thai studies in Thai and English, including electronic versions of rare books
- Youtube: a channel where visitors can view all past lectures organized by the Institute of Thai Studies
- Academic journals: a platform allowing researchers to exchange knowledge.
Future plans of the Institute of Thai Studies
“We are trying to push the Institute of Thai Studies to international platforms, especially regarding Thai studies that are of interest to people around the world, as well as creating a federation to promote cooperation among scholars in Asia.
Additionally, the Institute is creating the International Association for Buddhist Studies. Our efforts to engage more with society are done by communicating a simplified version of our research to the public and showing them how the field of Thai studies can be integrated with other sciences or fields of study,” concluded the director from the Institute of Thai Studies. , Chulalongkorn University.
