Abstract:
This research examines multiculturalism and security in Baan Nam Chieo Community in Laemngob District, Trat Province. The objectives are to study the identities of Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim, and Thai-Chinese community members and the cultural assimilation process in this multicultural community. This research is a qualitative study and employs several research methods, including data collection from documents, in-depth interviews, and observation. The study participants comprise 12 key community members who are Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim, and Thai Chinese and know about the community. The results of the study on the members' identities can be discussed in four aspects: history, language, religion and belief, and lifestyle. Historically, it is found that Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim and Thai-Chinese members have been living in Baan Nam Chieo Community together for a long time, with the Urang Champa people migrating to the community before the Chinese. In terms of the language, it is found that Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim, and Thai-Chinese members use the Trat dialect to communicate with one another. However, among the Thai-Muslim members, Arabic language is also used. At the same time, Thai-Muslims in the community are dressed differently, with the women wearing a hijab and the men wearing a Kufi hat. Regarding religion and belief, the Thai-Buddhist and Thai-Chinese members follow Buddhism, while Thai-Muslim members follow Islam. Baan Nam Chieo community also has a unique tradition of bamboo boat racing. In terms of lifestyle, it is found that Thai-Buddhist members are mostly farmers and live far from the sea. In contrast, Thai-Muslim members are primarily local fishermen living in a boathouse next to Nam Chieo River, while Thai-Chinese members are merchants residing in a building along and facing the street of the community. The identity of Baan Nam Chieo Community itself is distinctly spiritual. It is formed around religious teachings, familial ties, and education that the members all receive from the community's Wat Nam Chieo School. These influences also translate into physical characteristics that include their clothing, lifestyle, and traditional bamboo boat racing. The study also found that factors that influence social and cultural changes within the community are the local ecology, cultural dissemination, personality, and ideology. Moreover, it is found that the cultural assimilation process in the community comprises 4 steps: the acculturation step that takes place in central areas such as the school and the market and reflects in the way that community members are not discriminated against and support one another; the competition step that reflects in the different religious beliefs that are integrated into the ways of life of each group of the members who can co-exist, understand, and respect others; the adaptation step that is found in the way that religious leaders become a conflict mediator and the tolerance for cross-religious marriage which result in a familial bond within diverse members of the community; the cultural assimilation step that is found in the mixed-style clothing of community members, with Thai-Buddhist women wearing Thai-Muslim pants as an example. However, despite the cultural assimilation, Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim, and Thai-Chinese members of the community can retain their own identity and accept the cultural diversity around them without being fully assimilated into other cultures. This can be seen in the fact that certain religious ceremonies and cultural events still take place each year. Lastly, it is found that the community's political security comes from the community leaders who act as mediators without religious prejudice and discrimination. At the same time, the community's economic security relies on the market system within Baan Nam Chieo in which the community members trade and sell their goods in the community market. Lastly, the social security of the community comes from 3 elements: family, religion, and school.