Historical and Cultural Legacies and Localism of Lan Xang Along Khong River in Northeastern Thailand on The Basis of Civic Public Administration
Abstract
This research aimed to study the historical background and ethnic culture of Lan Xang on the basis of localism according to the principle of civic public administration, emphasizing the temporal and spatial dimensions of communities along Khong River in northeastern Thailand. The combination of Lao traditional and Siamese cultures with geopolitics leads to acculturation. Changes occurring all the time are sometimes different, and they are sometimes related. The data analysis and synthesis was hence conducted to discover the historical links which could lead to local development according to the approach of civic public administration.
The result revealed that the local self-government of local communities could significantly contribute to civic strength in the local level resulting in the gathering of networks, clubs, and civil society found to be small groups that could strengthen their local communities in terms of knowledge and practice following the democratic regime. Localism influenced by historical and cultural factors needed the cooperation of the locals not those outside of the community and must not be dominated by the regulations of the state or the state’s history. That is, it needed the community’s social structure as a mechanism for building the community’s identity. In addition, it was found that each place has its own stories varying upon its physical appearance. To understand them clearly, it is necessary to talk to the locals and dig for the truth through their real way of living. Such truth could be compared to the heartwood concealed by the outer bark. To see the heartwood, it is necessary to remove the outer bark.
Keyword:
- Lan Xang 2. Civic Public Administration 3. Localism
