FOYER: The Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education

Kosa Pan: The Ambassador Who Saved the Kingdom

2024-01-08T16:40:26+07:00

Kosa Pan: The Ambassador Who Saved the Kingdom by Phuthorn Pumathorn is a historical account detailing the background of Phraya Kosa Thibodi (Pan), the extraordinary envoy and royal ambassador who embarked on diplomatic missions to foster bilateral relations with the French government during the reign of His Majesty King Narai the Great. Presenting the narrative of Phraya Kosa Thibodi (Pan) from various crucial documents, both Thai and international, particularly those from France, this book enhances readers’ familiarity with this distinguished ambassador. Not only did Phya Kosa Thibodi (Pan) serve as an ambassador extending royal messages, but he also engaged in diplomatic negotiations adeptly. This, in turn, enabled Westerners to gain a deeper understanding of the Kingdom of Siam and acknowledge the cultural sophistication of the Siamese people. The book is structured to provide insight into this remarkable figure, shedding light on his multifaceted role as a diplomat.

Space, Daily Life, and Social Media Sites: A Study of Spatial Change and Semio-Capitalism

2023-07-13T10:15:20+07:00

This article intends to analyze socio-economic phenomena related to the correlations among “Individual-Material Space-Immaterial Space”, essential mechanism of the contemporary world. It aims especially to analyze the interrelation between the shift of material spaces and the process of subjectification on social media within the context of semio-capitalism. The interdisciplinary approach, consisting of historical studies, cultural studies, and geography—all of which are tools for explaining existing phenomena—was employed. This article undertook an examination of leisure spaces in northern and central regions of Thailand in the late 2010s to determine the dynamics of space, which parallel socio-economic development.

An analysis of the results revealed that material space has been adapted to align with the construction of individual identities through social media sites. Simultaneously, social media, an immaterial realm, grants individuals the freedom to create meaning and symbols through continuous content production in all facets of their daily lives. Consequently, material space transforms into a simulacrum that perpetually responds to the construction of individual identities. It becomes a simulated realm reflecting people's thoughts, emotions, and aesthetic values, which are continually reproduced. In the world of semio-capitalism, materials are reduced to mere projections of various 'realities’.

Salad Dai in Thai Culture

2024-02-01T16:04:19+07:00

This article explores the salad dai plant in Thai culture. Research indicates that salad dai has been a part of Thai literature since the Ayutthaya period. Its presence is also notable in historical texts, literature, folklore, and religious architecture. This suggests a broad familiarity with and use of salad dai among the Thai people. In literature, poets reference salad dai, often with a focus on its aesthetic appeal. The plant’s name is also used in naming places, reflecting its significance in toponymy. In culinary contexts, especially in eastern Thailand, salad dai is used as a food ingredient. Traditional Thai medicine utilizes salad dai for its healing properties. Additionally, in ceremonies and rituals, it is used alongside other sacred plants like sandalwood and krissana wood in royal funerals.

About the Journal

2024-06-13T09:30:43+07:00

FOYER: The Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education a publication of Faculty of Liberal Arts, Mahidol University, was first published in 2024. Two semi-annual issues are scheduled for January-June and July-December each year.

FOYER: The Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education publishes articles in Thai, English, and also other languages. The editor welcomes submissions of previously unpublished manuscripts in four categories: academic -, research -, review articles, and book reviews. Submitted manuscripts will be screened through a double-blind review by three readers from relevant academic disciplines.

FOYER: The Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education welcomes submissions of previously unpublished manuscripts in four categories: academic -, research -, review articles, and book reviews. Submitted manuscripts may not currently be reviewed for other journals. A complete version of articles appearing in conference proceedings may be considered, provided that the author(s) has extended the original by 60% at the least. In this case, an explicit acknowledgment of the first publishing is required in the extended manuscript.

The Synthesis of Graduate Research on Literary Pedagogy at Silpakorn University and Naresuan University during 2007–2022

2023-11-22T09:49:19+07:00

This article aims to synthesize research on teaching and learning literature at the graduate level of Silpakorn University
and Naresuan University from 2007 to 2022. The data used for the study includes research by graduate students. Silpakorn University
and Naresuan University from 2007–2022 in total 55 papers.
The research methods were 1) survey and collect research data,
2) record the data in a table created by the researcher, 3) determine the issues for analysis, including basic information, objectives, types, population, and sample. Innovations used were dependent variable results, tools, content, and statistics used to analyze the data. 4) analyze the data in summary, according to separate points. Then find basic statistics, which are frequency and percentage,
and 5) analyze the direction and trend of research on teaching and learning about literature.

The results of the research revealed that:

1. Results from data analysis according to the important issues were follows: 1) Silpakorn University produced the most research on teaching and learning about literature, with a total of 31 research studies, accounting for 56.36 percent of all studies; 2) the majority of objectives that were set were to compare achievement/abilities/skills (a total of 68 items, accounting for 43.87 percent of all the studies), and three main objectives being set accounted for 58.18 percent of all studies; 3)there were 50 experimental studies, which was the majority of the studies, accounting for 90.90 percent of all of them; 4) the population and sample of 26 studies were studies in the third group grade which are Mattayomsuksa 1-3 , with this number accounting for 47.27 percent of all the studies; the researchers used the simplest random sampling method for 38 research studies, with these accounting for 69.09 percent of all of them; 5) most of the innovations used by the researchers were ones regarding format, at 27 studies accounting for 31.76 percent of the total; 6) attitudinal variables were the most popular variables, being covered in 45 studies, accounting for 50.56 percent of the total; 7) most of the research studies used learning management plans as a research tool (50 studies, accounting for 64.93 percent of the total), and most used achievement tests as a data collection tool (41 studies, accounting for 39.04 percent of the total); 8) the literature content was at the third level in the majority of studies, which was 40 studies, accounting for 43.5 percent of the total, and 9) most of the researchers analyzed the data with t-tests (One-sample test); this was done 39 times, accounting for 54.92 percent of the total.

2. Research on teaching and learning literature at Silpakorn University, the emphasis is placed on developing teaching methods to provide teachers with expertise in teaching. Naresuan University was founded in the same way but with the development of technological media as well. Therefore, the direction and trend of research is aimed at developing the creation of modern innovations and new ones to be consistent with learners in the context of the digital society era.

Speech Acts of Gratitude in Thai: A Case Study of Acknowledgments in Thai language department theses

2023-10-27T14:43:38+07:00

This article aims to investigate the language strategies in Thai researchers’ expressions of gratitude. Data were collected from thesis acknowledgments texts in Thai from three educational institutions: Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University and Thammasat University. Each institution yielded ten texts, for a total of 30 texts. Searle’s (1969) conditions for gratitude speech acts were used to analyze them. The results showed that there were two main types of strategies employed. Direct strategies were exhibited through the use of six gratitude words. These were arranged in order of frequency from highest to lowest, “khɔ̆:+kràbkhɔ̀bkhun” “khɔ̆:+khɔ̀bkhun” “khɔ̆:+khɔ̀bphrákhun” “khɔ̀bkhun” “kràb khɔ̀bkhun” and “khɔ̀bphrákhun”. The second strategy found was the use of indirect gratitude strategies. Five sub-strategies were discovered: giving compliments, strategies for demonstrating success, strategies to repay a debt of gratitude, strategies regarding hypothetical situations, and making promises. The strategies of giving compliments were divided into two sub-strategies: direct strategies and the strategy of using metaphors to give compliments. From comparing the gratitude strategies, it appeared that direct gratitude strategies were used more than indirect gratitude strategies. This was because acknowledgments are an announcement of gratitude in honor of those who helped with the thesis. Using direct gratitude words is therefore an appropriate strategy. The results of the study reflect how Thai society places importance on gratitude through Buddhist concepts and that the relationship between the sender and receiver is an important variable in choosing words to express gratitude.

Remote Learning as a Strategic Model in the Face of the COVID-19 Crisis: Documentary Research

2024-03-12T13:41:15+07:00

The objective of this research is to analyze the strategic model of remote learning fostered by Thai universities representing how COVID-19 has transformed remote learning into the only approach to meet the national measures of public health protection and to boost consecutively in education programs. Two scenarios are compared before and during the outbreak, in order to identify the best practice that can be adopted by Thai universities to leverage their digital supply and rival in an international context. After a context was generally analyzed to highlight the advantages and challenges pertaining to remote learning, the case of the Thai university systems was analyzed. Documentary analysis was also used to analyze the data, focusing on what Thai universities revealed through their related documents, official websites, as well as all genres of communication on digital strategies. Then, they were qualitatively analyzed to identify what sorts of platforms have been combined to ensure educational quality. The research findings highlight the resilience of Thai universities, able to respond and to re-organize themselves in a short period of time. The results of the outbreak are likely to strengthen Thai universities, able to amalgamate educational quality with the potential of technological advancement and to strive for the high standards demonstrated at the international level.

Queering Win Lyovarin’s Democracy, Shaken, and Stirred: The Entanglement of Politics, Desire, and Transtextuality

2024-03-27T08:40:02+07:00

Win Lyovarin’s Democracy, Shaken, and Stirred is a distinguished work, as it was graced by the S.E.A. Write Award in 1997 and continues to interest scholars and critics with its experimental literary devices. Nevertheless, the novel is categorized within the genres of historical novels and political novels. This research aims at alternatively analyzing the novel with special reference to the implicit queer desire between two male protagonists. The theoretical framework is based on Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s ideas of male homosocial desire and Gérard Genette’s concept of transtextuality. It is found that male homosexual desire is encoded in Democracy, Shaken, and Stirred through the symbolic system. The architextuality of the novel likewise suggests male exclusive space through the grammars of action-adventure novels, the western and wu xia genres. Furthermore, the novel’s paratexts, particularly the covers of different editions, are filled with phallic symbols in a misogynistic manner. All contribute to the materialization of male homosexual desire. This research is an example of an analytical queer reading of a Thai literary canon, which illustrates the potential of this approach to enrich the study of contemporary Thai literature.