การประชุ
มวิ
ชาการและเสนอผลงานวิ
จั
ย มหาวิ
ทยาลั
ยทั
กษิ
ณ ครั้
งที่
19 ประจำป
2552
The table is simple and non-exhaustive yet instructive as an indication of some of the
specificities of southern Thailand. Another way to express this
is to recall the region itself, as in the following three maps. The
first is a Thai map of the region, which suggests that the south
is an outpost of Bangkok with implications of conformity and
inferiority. The second a Malaysian map, which can imply the
reciprocal status with respect to Kuala Lumpur. The third map
is of the region with
Songkhla as a centre,
which indicates rela-
tionships that share
historical, geographi-
cal, social and cultural similarities. Research focussed on
this region seems to be a responsibility of a university in
Songkhla, and it is also the best basis for developing respect
in the region and internationally. It is simply a choice
between competing from a disadvantageous position or
choosing a subject in which one has a ready-made advantage.
Themapsillustratewhatweallknow–thatifweviewSongkhla
as the centre rather thanBangkok orKualaLumpur, then great
commonalities of history, language, religion, environment,
culture and livelihoods become apparent. To relate this to
southern Thai communities means understanding their ways
of being and their aspirations, not in terms of how they
differ from some imagined national objective, but in terms
of their own worldviews. Social science leads such under-
standing and informs the best applied scientific research.
From a university-research perspective, there are other parameters that also need to be
mentioned. These relate to two major areas – the role of a university in education and in society.
Food for Thought:
Discipline specificities that relate to the region and its geographical,
economic, ethnic and other integrities, suggest that research may be best focused on
regional communities and their development.
