Folklore museums and their roles in displaying and preserving communal cultural heritage : the case studies of Yaowarat Chinatown heritage center, Bang Lamphu Museum and Bangkokian Museum

Abstract

Communal cultural heritage as the embodiment of cultural diversity of the nation, plays more significant roles in the contemporary context. Adopted from the definitions of tangible and intangible heritages and their displaying in communities, the idea of preserving communal cultural heritage has extended its instruments to various fields and different forms. Among them, local folklore museum plays irreplaceable roles in the displaying and maintaining the cultural identity of the local community. In this research, three folklore museums in Bangkok, Thailand are chosen as study cases to examine the roles that folklore museum plays in the process of displaying and preserving communal cultural heritages. First of the first, the realization of an area’s cultural values is the starting point of forming a folklore museum. After a fully understanding of the historical and cultural context of the area, the folklore museum is established to display its content to visitors. During this process, different cultural context and displaying approaches lead to the diverse outcome image and in a way reflect the diverse cultures in Thailand.