Faith and rights in the smart city: Preserving the significance of the Chao Mae Tuptim shrine amidst gentrification of the Sam Yan neighborhood of Bangkok
Keywords:
Chao Mae Tuptim shrine, right to the city, gentrification, Sam Yan, smart cityAbstract
The Chao Mae Tuptim shrine in the Sam Yan neighborhood of Bangkok has profound spiritual and symbolic significance for Thai Chinese people and the Sam Yan community. It is at risk of being demolished as part of the Sam Yan Smart City project by the Property Management of Chulalongkorn University (PMCU). PMCU plans to use the land to build a retail mall and a 1,800-unit residential building for university staff and student dormitories under a mixed-use project, Block 33. This qualitative case study highlights the spiritual and symbolic significance of the Chao Mae Tuptim shrine. It addresses the impact of gentrification on the shrine’s Thai Chinese cultural and spiritual aspects. The study emphasizes the role of the Sam Yan community in preserving the shrine’s cultural, spiritual, and symbolic significance in the face of gentrification. Data is gathered from news articles, online interviews, and observations of the extant and new Chao Tuptim Mae shrine installations. Data is analysed thematically in the context of Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City concept to underline the community’s ongoing faith and commitment to safeguarding the shrine despite the advancing Smart City project.
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