Buddhist and Local Cultural Capital Management by Integrating Cooperation with Network Partners to Increase the Capacity of Ethnic Communities in Mae Hong Son Province

Abstract

The purpose of this research was: 1) to synthetic the Buddhist capital and local culture and 2) to study the management of Buddhist capital and local culture by integrating cooperation with network partners. It is mixed research. The samples were 1) tourists 300 persons and 2) experts from relevant agencies 15 persons. The research tools consist of questionnaires, depth interview, and discussion forums. The qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis.

The research results found that: 1) Buddhist capital of ethnic communities consists of religious sites, religious objects, religions doctrine, religious figures, and ceremonies, while cultural capital consists of learning resources, cultural attractions, traditions, rituals, local wisdom, value system, values, beliefs and faith of the community, physical environment, spatial context, and cultural products of ethnic communities. 2) Guidelines for Buddhist capital management and local culture should be revive community culture with relevant agencies to revitalize fading community culture;  inherit community capital to be able to continue living in society through passing down from generation to generation through learning and cultivating consciousness;  adapt to create local cultural products using local identity strategies;  make the community ready by enhancing the community participation process to encourage members to appreciate religious and cultural capital; take the story of an important person, historical stories, or even a legend to be part of driving and increasing the value of community tourism;  organize activities that are congruent with the local people's lifestyles and beliefs to generate memorable and novel experiences;  present information about community capital by telling the story of the owner of the area for tourists to learn, accept and understand cultural diversity.