Thai studies

Thai Studies, a branch of Asian studies, is an intellectual category used by research universities around the world as a way of bringing together specialists from different disciplines such as history, anthropology, religious studies, political science, Thai language, Thai literature, and musicology who are doing research in these areas in the country of Thailand.

The term sometimes includes research on Tai ethnic groups living outside of Thailand such as the Shan or Tai Lu of Xishuangbanna Prefecture in Yunnan, China as well as ethnic groups such as the Mon who have long inhabited the area of modern-day Thailand.

Probably the first organisation to actively sponsor and promote Thai Studies was the Siam Society under royal patronage, established in 1904. The Siam Society and the affiliated Siamese Heritage Protection Trust maintain an extensive library of Thai studies materials and exhibits.

The Journal of the Siam Society (JSS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal. Open access to PDF digital productions of all issues back to 1904 is available on line.

Currently, the Center for Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand is a thriving center for Thai Studies. The Thailand Information Center (TIC) at Chulalongkorn's main library is a central repository of research materials for Thai Studies.

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Wikipedia