Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Reported by:

John Paul Tianchon

(Crim. 2-C, Group 7)

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Way of Life

The Thai have always been anagricultural people of thelowland valleys andintermontane basins, where theycultivated wet rice with the useof water buffalo and harvested a

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

wide range of fish and shellfishfrom the rivers and the sea.These occupations were oftensupplemented, especially in thenorth and northeast, by thecollection of forest products,ranging from timber, such as

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

teak and bamboo, to foodsstored for consumption duringthe dry season. In the northernmountain valleys, Tai-speakingpeoples developed an intricatesystem of small-scale irrigation,called muang fai. The eventual

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

move to the great central plainnecessitated the development ofcanals for transportation and,from the late-19th centuryonwards, of much largerirrigation and flood-controlsystems. Small nuclear families

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

occupied villages, comprising awat and wooden houses onstilts. The pattern of life wasgoverned above all by theseasonal rhythm of themonsoons and by a series ofimportant religious festivals.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Many of these festivals wereclosely associated with fertilityand the arrival and ending of therains.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

The Thai are now an increasinglyurbanized people, with a stronginterest in shopping and trade.Thai cookery is considered oneof the world’s great cuisines,known for its range of subtlespices and sauces. Favorite Thai

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

foods include salads of meat,fish, and vegetables; soups;curries (stews flavored with ablend of ground spices); andtropical fruits.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Social Issues

Thailand faces a number ofsocial problems. Corruptionaffects government, business,and even the Buddhistmonkhood (known as thesangha), and the press

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

frequently reports scandals.Drugs and drug trafficking areongoing concerns. In rural areas,many tropical diseases, such asmalaria, dengue fever, andcholera, remain a threat. Widesocial gaps—between rich and

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

poor, city and countryside—compound these problems.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Culture

In the 13th century two Thaichiefs united to form thekingdom of Sukhothai, the firstThai state. Lasting until the 15thcentury, Sukhothai set forth acultural foundation that

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

developed throughoutThailand’s history and continuestoday. Under Ramkhamhaeng,who ruled over Sukhothai duringthe late 13th century and greatlyexpanded its territory, thekingdom experienced a period of

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

artistic growth. Ramkhamhaengis credited with developing theThai alphabet and producing thefirst written inscription. Thevarious people living within thekingdom were united in part byTheravada

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Buddhism, which had spread tothe area from Sri Lanka (thenCeylon). Fostered by the tenetsof this new religion, Sukhothaireached a golden age of artisticachievement during the 14thand 15th centuries. In this

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

period, artisans producedartifacts of exceptional quality instone, bronze, and fired clay.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

In the mid-14th century thekingdom of Ayutthaya wasfounded in southern Thailand. Itrapidly became a major power inthe region, ultimately absorbingthe kingdom of Sukhothai aswell as the Khmer (Cambodian)

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

kingdom of Angkor. Located onan island in the Chao PhrayaRiver with access to the sea,Ayutthaya lay well situated toserve as a port for the increasingregional trade and for religiouspilgrimages and commercial

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

ventures from Europe. Extendedcontact with foreign cultures andthe solidarity of the kingdominspired a flowering of the arts.Ayutthaya lasted until thesecond half of the 18th century,when it was sacked by theBurmese.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Today, the fundamentalcharacteristics of traditional Thaiculture still prevail in manymediums. However, certain artforms, such as painting,sometimes synthesize the idealsof Thai beauty and form with

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Western-influenced modernconcepts.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Source:

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft

Corporation. All rights reserved.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Thailand

Khop Khun!!!

Socio-Cultural Setting

as we

Understanding

Socio-Cultural

Communityfor

establish a

Republic of the Philippines

CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY

Dumarao Satellite College, Dumarao, Capiz

Theme: “Understanding Better the Political, Economic & Socio-Cultural Setting of Southeast Asian Nations for

Peace, Prosperity & People”

March 09, 2015 (8:00-11:30 am)

Campus Library