Mr. Worapong Charoenwong Independent Scholar
Mr. Surachai Vaivanjit Yala Islamic University
Mr. Rungroj Chorbwan Yala Islamic University
As currents of Islamic consciousness and the Southern unrest encounter Melayu Muslims in Thailand, the intellectual activists are moving towards re-creating social space for Melayu culture in myriad complex ways, in which Melayu identity is expressed and communicated to the Thai society at large. The study of the “Dynamics of Intellectual Movement in the Re-creation of Social Space for Melayu Culture in Thailand” is to look into the growth of Melayu-Islamic consciousness among the intellectual activists in the three Southern border provinces of Thailand. It aims to grasp the dynamics of intellectual movement which is propelling the process of identity re-formation and cultural representation. It includes an analysis of forces that may have motivated intellectual activists, of their aspiration, activities, and expectation in the movement. At the end of the study, it is expected to achieve the following objectives: (i) To examine dialectical relations between Islamic consciousness and Melayu culturalism from the intellectual activists’ viewpoints; (ii) To probe into the intellectual activists’ struggles to re-create the social space for Melayu culture; and (iii) To grasp the implications of Melayu culturalism within the context of Thai nation-state.