Conclusion
Thailand is an important regional power in south-east Asia. At present it is experiencing a time of rapid economic development that brings tension into the traditional storehouses of knowledge. Local Thai knowledge and wisdom are being eclipsed by newer knowledge coming into Thailand from the outside. Thailand, however, has a long and proud tradition of adaptation and some Thais believe that this trait of adaptation describes the essence of Thailand. The task is well summed up by the Office of the National Education Commission (1991, p. 17) which says, ‘[The new graduate] must think out how to produce a well-balanced combination of modern knowledge and local wisdom for future economic and social development’. Traditional knowledge is being blended with newer knowledge to form wisdom that is distinctly Thai and enables Thailand to join the global community as a well-informed regional power.
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A doctoral candidate in sociology at Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia. In her research, she encourages universities to reassert the importance of local knowledge, and to incorporate new ways of thinking into their institutions that balance the influences of global commerce with the needs of local people. She defines this imperative as the search for wisdom in higher education.
I would like to acknowledge Dr. Arphorn Chuaprapaisilp, the Hongladarom family, Wipawan Kulsamrit, Helen Printer, Dr. Constance Lever-Tracy, Associate Professor Puangkaew Poonyakanok, the Suttisan family, Dr. Amnuay Tapingkae, Drs. Pairoj and Peansiri Vongivipanond and friends at Suan Mokkh for sharing their ideas with me and for their encouragement and support for my research.
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Rhea, Z.M. Changing manifestations of wisdom and knowledge in Thailand. Prospects 25, 669–682 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02334143
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02334143