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Thai Buddhism, the Mass Media, and Culture Change in Thailand

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Culture and Communication in Thailand

Part of the book series: Communication, Culture and Change in Asia ((CCCA,volume 3))

Abstract

From a historical perspective, Thai Buddhism is a hybridization of animism , Theravada Buddhism , and Brahmanism . As Thailand has gone through four phases of globalization , from the archaic period to proto-globalization , globalization, and contemporary globalization , Thai Buddhist beliefs and practices have also been modified accordingly.This paper attempts to analyze the following:

  1. (1)

    How the Sangha , or the Buddhist body of Thailand, has been impacted since it has become part of the state during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V);

  2. (2)

    How the economic and social development has an impact on Thai Buddhism, especially the animistic beliefs , cults, Hindu Gods , and astrology ; and

  3. (3)

    How the Thai mass media and new social media create hypes on Buddhism, animism, and the further commercialization of Buddhism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The sakdina system was the hierarchical structure of service nobility codified in lists of official posts, each with its specific title, honorific, and rank measured in areas of land they were allowed to possess (Baker and Phongpaichit 2005: 15, Ongsakul 2005: 115, Servaes and Malikhao 1989: 33, Servaes 1999: 211, Srisootarapan, 1976; Suwannarit 2003: 9–12).

  2. 2.

    Teharanian (2007: 91) explains neo-capitalism as the incorporation of capital and global reach of transnational corporations (TNCs), dominating state, civil societies, and communication networks; disembodiment of human relations into a nexus of digital numbers.

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Note

  • This article is a reprint of Malikhao, P. (2015). Thai Buddhism, the Mass Media and Culture Change in Thailand. In Journal of the Asian Research Center for Religion Communication. 12(2), pp. 124–143.

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  1. Fecund Communication, Chiangmai, Thailand

    Patchanee Malikhao

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Malikhao, P. (2017). Thai Buddhism, the Mass Media, and Culture Change in Thailand. In: Culture and Communication in Thailand. Communication, Culture and Change in Asia, vol 3. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4125-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4125-9_1

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