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ชาการและเสนอผลงานวิ
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งที่
19 ประจำป
2552
University Research and Specificities of Southern Thailand
With this experience from elsewhere in Thailand
and the world, it is possible to frame a basis for future
university-based research in Southern Thailand. The
approach is not new, but it is not one that has been
widespread for it is easier to follow short-term fashions in
funding and ideas. But this is not why universities exist.
Somemaythinkthatthisisadifficultsubjecttodiscuss
because it depends on one’s perspective – whether one
has the view of a southerner or not, of a Buddhist or a Muslim, of a Westerner or a global
citizen, and so on. Nevertheless, there are common elements about the region that can be
elicited; for example, it is part of Thailand and many things flow from this, and yet it is different
from the rest of Thailand in social, geographical and historic terms.
It will help to reduce the field of discussion here from research in general to university-based
research. Looking from that perspective leads to the disciplinary links common to the global
university fraternity, which can perhaps be analysed for the South’s immediate neighbourhood.
One simple application of this methodology would lead to something like the following
(modified from a list of disciplines from Oxford University) for matters related to the South:
