Media Ethnography Research Group

Media Ethnography and Visualizing Culture Study Research Group

Tattoo: Establishment of Identity as Self-Identifying on the Body

Potjaman Nitmai

This independent study aims to study the background history anddevelopment of tattoos as well asconcepts and beliefs of the tattoos, and to study tattooing in relation to self-identifying of the tattoos. However, tattoos still appear today.Those tattoos found in Muang District,Chiang Mai Province are considered as media by a sub-cultural group who resist, negotiate, refuse, and deny shadow of the former diccourse. They viewed tattoos as artistic beauty on the body. In conclusion, to establish identity with tattos cannot help the tattoos stay away from shadow of the discourse. They can only resist, refuse, or negotiate for establishing identity with the tattoos showing ways of life of the tattoos in the contemporary Thai society

The Analysis of Presentation Style of the Horror Films

Wisit Arunrattananont

This Independent study aims to study and survey Horror Film and concerned concept, through the film's stories involved with the sound and image's technique. The entertainment from suspense and fear count as the film's unique feature. But it has made some of suspicious in film's study. "Why can the audience pleasure in those unpleasurable felling such as suspense and fear?" This question has rouse the widely study and debate between scholar in many fields.
With the observation and analysis a number of Horror Film's element, it founds those element was created with the objective to against or break the concept about certain security and safety in its audience's daily life, by bringing them to confront with the bizarre things, that can shake and defy the human's familiar conception. It may because of the unconscious desire of the Horror Film's audience, wants to annihilate the social's rule that dominate person's conscious.

An Analysis of Women Roles in Dae Jang Guem (Jewel in the Palace) Based on the Feminist Point of View

Sukanya Intadod

The purpose of this independent research was to study the women's role in the television theater of Dae Jang Guem (the Jewel in the palace) which revealed the modern-day role of women in Korea.
Consequently, the television drama of Dae Jang Guem (the lady in the palace) had the influence on the South Korea's men and reflected the emancipation of the lady's right. As the result, the study found that the women in those days were not under containment and suppression as it ought to be at that time. In short, the role of the mother had the right to say aloud that her kids could make their own decision or not. The reason came from the gratitude and the appreciation on the role of the mother whose authority was above her children's choice of life. However, the wife's role had been distorted from the teaching of Confucius who played much influence upon the society in the story of Dae Jang Guem or the lady in the Korean palace. Confucius's idea had much control on the Korean society structure at that time in the TV movies where women were under the possession and under the control of the husband's family. Nonetheless, the cinema had revealed that husband and wife had a good understanding; and in some cases women could have power over the husband. Even though, the influence of the Confucius had overruled the government administration in those days in Korea.
The study had found that: -
1. At the social structure level, the women at that time tried to overcome the men's careers in education, medicine, and sciences as well as economics and politics. They wanted to have a social change in the family institution where as men and women should have some flexibility in the running of the family affairs.
2. At the individual level, each woman had to build her own identity which had shown her determination and her life style. Each individual female had to seek her own beauty and good looks. She had to try and find ways to overcome hardship and obstacles in her life. Furthermore, she needed to improve and to apply all the good things around herself. In short, she had to be able to win over all the difficulties in order to prove her ability to survive in the society with pride and satisfaction.

Sign Consumption in Tourism of Contemporary Thai Society

Wajee Ruangphornwisut

The objective of this study are exploring the role of signs in constructing meanings and values in the context of tourism and analysing the logics of consumption of Thai tourists. The theoretical framework of Baudrillard and semiotics are used in this study. The study shows that signs play a significant role in tourist activities. They are an important element of signification to promote the tourist characteristics and values, as found in the 4 selected areas of study: Doi Inthanon National Park, Doi Suthep temple, Bo-Sang handicraft village and the Chiang Mai Old Cultural center's Khantoke dinner. Regarding to the analysis of logics of consumption, the tourist consumption depend upon a logic of sign-value, functional logic of use value and economic logic of exchange value respectively. The sign-value is considered as an important factor of making decision in many cases, such as reasons for choosing tourist destination, taking photos and buying souvenirs. The priority of sign-value reveals that the consumption of tourist corresponds with the constructed meaning and myth. Thus, tourism in contemporary society reflects the consumption phenomena that give accent on the representatives, the meaning and the differences between the signs.

Analysis of Ironic Criticism on Male by Female Writers in Contemporary Literature Media

Wisunsaya Kitirattrakarn

The objective of this research is to study the language pattern usage of female writers to analyze thought, value and attitude of female writers, also to analyze the reflection of Thai society which appears in female writings about men in the pocket books and how is it related to other social discourse such as job responsibility, sexual object, physical body and virginity by the analyzing of 5 women's writing based on semiology and feminism.
From the research found that The reason why female writers like to use strong ironic words than soft word is for long time, they has been passivated by men and one day when can't resist anymore, they express their underneath feeling through writing in publicity, hopefully, for people will be acknowledged and gradually see the change of their status in a better way. After the study, we found that thought, value and attitude of woman toward love and relationship is passive in term of sexuality and it is expressed in term of sexual desireable that it is presented in a new angle compared with the past which it shown the expanding of sex status and woman way. The effect of Thai society in present day pointed the unequal of gender and power is related to all issues about sex that can destroy woman in the patriarchy. The changing of woman thought structure effects to the tradition of woman in nowadays.

Presentation of Lanna Spirit Culture Through Contemporary Comics

Kanin Fangsiriwong

The objective of this research is to study the beliefs of Spirit in Lanna culture through the media design of contemporary comics. This study is the experimental study to make people understand Lanna Spirit culture in the right way with the hiding attitude of ancient Lanna people, who interested in cartoons and the workers group in the field of Art and Graphic Design.
The result shown that the most of readers could learn and understand more than 85 % about Lanna Spirit culture and present more than 88 % of Lanna being that summed up these comics could reply the needless presentation of Lanna Spirit culture through contemporary comics. The most of readers defined that Thai comics depended on the presentations of Thai atmosphere and contents with written by thai people, as Thai comics.

Creation of Private Space in Public Space of Thai Society: The Trace of Writing in Public Toilet and Webboard in Cyberspace

Sirirat Rattanakan

The purpose of this research is to study the attitude about understanding private space in the public space of Thai society and also to study and compare the self-expression embedded in the private space; namely, this can be considered as a superimposition of private and public space occurring at public toilet and webboard in cyberspace.
The study shows that the private space and public space of Thai society in the past had the clear boundaries. When crossing over space and area, the modification would happen because each place had its own principles and regulations. As time changed, the space had developed itself to be more physical. That means the clear boundary had been changed to become non boundary and non restriction for space and time as called as "Cyberspace". People tried to create their own private space over others including public space. However, nowadays it's hard to distinguish between the private space and public space because people seem to describe themselves to public as if it was their private space.

Control Process of Power and Knowledge of Midnight University Website

Jirapak Jomwinya

In the past, the study of Thai people were covered both power and ethics from the Buddhist temple. However next time, Modern Thai State will use Thai people's culture of knowledge applied to modern education by technology of disciplines for socialized Thai people. Power and ethics in education was changed by globalization. The knowledge was deterritorialization from media power in some case of alternative education through the website. In this case study is Midnight University website by Michel Foucault's 3 concepts are power, knowledge and globalization to explaining a discourse on this website.
The results of this study showed that Midnight University Website are academic communities and has both sharing knowledge and practices on real space. Furthermore, this website has a change power and knowledge with main stream education, by two way benefit. However, alternative knowledge on Midnight University website is controlled by ethics and academic power. So knowledge has always controlled by power.