Community participation in the management of palm leaf manuscripts as Lanna cultural material in Thailand
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-02-2018-0025 |
| Date | 10 September 2018 |
| Published date | 10 September 2018 |
| Pages | 951-965 |
| Author | Piyapat Jarusawat,Andrew Cox,Jo Bates |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Records management & preservation,Document management,Classification & cataloguing,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Scholarly communications/publishing,Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information management,Information & communications technology,Internet |
Community participation in the
management of palm leaf
manuscripts as Lanna cultural
material in Thailand
Piyapat Jarusawat
Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Humanities,
Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand, and
Andrew Cox and Jo Bates
Information School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Abstract
Purpose –The cultural heritage of the Lanna region of upper Northern Thailand is unique. One of its distinctive
features ispalm leaf manuscripts (PLMs), which are viewed simultaneously as examples of sacred writing and
religioussymbols,means of transferringcultural knowledge,artefactsof beauty and fragilehistoricaldocuments.
Local people still care about these objects, and speak the language but knowledge of the script is limited.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of community members and experts about the value and
managementof PLMs as the basis for developing a model of community-based collectionmanagement.
Design/methodology/approach –Because the purpose was to explore differing perceptions and beliefs
around PLMs the study adopted an interpretivist worldview. Data were collected through interviews with
local people with an interest in PLMs and experts who advised on organising them. In addition, observation
and a photo inventory method was used to collect data. Data were analysed thematically.
Findings –The results showedthat while both groups saw the value of the knowledge PLMs contained,the
community placed particular importance on the earning of “merit”through activities related to them as
Buddhistobjects. Experts gaveparticular emphasis tothe knowledge of herbal medicinecontained in the PLMs.
The communityvalued indigenous storage and preservation practices.Experts were particularly pre-occupied
with the intellectual property issue around medical knowledgeand convenient storage and digitisation.
Research limitations/implications –Existing theory around libraries, archives and museums suggest
some starting points for how community participation might be managed, but the unique circumstances of
Lanna PLMs calls for a distinctive approach.
Practical implications –The paper identifies a pathway suitable to the Lanna context that can build on
current local practices, to enhance community participation in the management of PLMs, including a
consideration of the role of information professionals.
Originality/value –This paper is one of the first to extend thinking about participatory practices in the
library, archive and museum literature to the context of Thailand and specifically to the case of PLMs, in the
Lanna region. Rigorous data analysis of a substantial body of evidence has enhanced the understanding of
the different types of value placed on PLMs. It identifies an important but not unbridgeable tension between
how local people and experts view PLMs. It builds on previous library, archive and museum theory to propose
a realistic model of how communities and experts (including librarians) can work together to protect the rich
cultural resource represented by PLMs.
Keywords Community participation, Thailand,Indigenous knowledge, Buddhism, Collection management,
Palm leaf manuscripts
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
A number of communities in Northern Thailand have rich and unique cultural traditions
distinct from thatof Siam that dominates Thai nationalculture. Lanna is one such important
local identity. Lanna was a powerful regional kingdom from the fourteen to the sixteen
centuries, butits cultural and linguistic influence has survivedits disappearance as a political
entity. A significant example of Lanna cultural materials are “Khamphi Bailan,”palm leaf
manuscripts(PLMs), ancient forms of documents used to recordBuddhist teachings and other
Journal of Documentation
Vol. 74 No. 5, 2018
pp. 951-965
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0022-0418
DOI 10.1108/JD-02-2018-0025
Received 10 February 2018
Revised 23 March 2018
Accepted 25 March 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm
951
Management
of palm leaf
manuscripts
To continue reading
Request your trial