THE SOFT POWER OF ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AS A TEMPLE-BASED APPROACH TO COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT: A CASE STUDY OF WAT THONG NOPPAKHUN, KHLONG SAN DISTRICT, BANGKOK

Abstract

This article aimed to: 1) study the conditions and spatial context of the community surrounding Wat Thong Noppakhun, Khlong San District, Bangkok; 2) study the soft power of artistic and cultural heritage for temple-based community strengthening; and 3) propose guidelines for promoting the soft power of artistic and cultural heritage for temple-based community strengthening. This study employed a qualitative research methodology, focusing on the analysis of both field data and documentary data, lesson learned, and interviews with key informants in the study area. Semi-structured interviews were used with a total of 40 key informants, consisting of 5 monks of Wat Thong Noppakhun, 5 people from the Wat Thong Noppakhun community, 5 tour guides, and 25 Thai and foreign tourists. The data were analyzed using content analysis and synthesized to answer the research objectives.

The research findings revealed that: 1) the community surrounding Wat Thong Noppakhun had a strong cultural foundation. It was a traditional Thai community that integrated Thai people and Thai people of Chinese descent, with the temple serving as a spiritual center and reflecting soft power through supportive social relationships and local traditions that continued to exist, such as offering alms to monks, chanting, and providing ethical training for youth; 2) the cultural heritage of the temple, such as architecture, sculpture, and mural paintings, deeply communicated artistic and moral values. At the same time, local rituals and the role of monks also served as soft power that influenced the minds and ways of life of the community; and 3) the proposed guidelines included organizing cultural activities continuously, using digital technology, developing a temple museum, promoting the creative economy, and building collaborative networks in order to transform the temple’s cultural heritage into sustainable soft power and drive community development.