Religious heritage of Bangkok: uses and survival in urban context

Bongsasilp, Bhadravarna (2019). Religious heritage of Bangkok: uses and survival in urban context. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the changing dynamics of Buddhist heritage in Bangkok in view of the various stakeholders engaged with the pressures of urban change. Using a variety of methods to understand the ways in which religious heritage is changing in relation to the wider pressures active in the City. Interviews were carried out with policy makers, site managers and leaders of the local community involved with the religious heritage sites and related activities. Along with document analysis and use of archives to map the changing uses of these religious heritage sites, observational research was undertaken at a selection of Royal Monasteries, Civic Monasteries and shrines in the core of city to assess the changes in the ways these sites are responding to competing pressures in terms of their protection, management and valorisation. The research outcomes highlight the important role that social and political hierarchies play in the heritage debates in Bangkok, the influence exercised in the management of the physical religious sites in the city and selectivity in the way that some sites are promoted and protected that relate to patronage and tourism. The work opens up wider discussion about the ways that religious heritage is used by local communities.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):