Asian Studies Commons^™

The Development Of The Songkran Festival In Thailand: Balancing Tradition, Tourism, And Cultural Identity, Shiyuan Huang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research paper examines the development of Thailand’s Songkran Festival over the past decade, with a focus on government policies and the festival's shifting cultural identity. Initially centered on tourism promotion and cultural preservation, Songkran has become part of Thailand’s soft power strategy by 2023, transforming from a local celebration into a global cultural event. The festival's format now features grand, entertainment-driven spectacles, such as the 2024 Maha Songkran World Water Festival, aiming to extend Thailand’s cultural influence internationally. The study further explores the social transformation of Songkran, which, while rooted in traditional values of family and community, has adapted …

The Integration Of Chinese Cuisine In Contemporary Thai Society As Reflected In The Names Of Food: A Case Study Of Salapao, Yating Shen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis aims to study the integration of Chinese cuisine in contemporary Thai society as reflected in the names of food by using the Chinese steamed bun or salapao as a case study. Objectives of the thesis include 1) to analyze the form and meaning of the names of salapao consumed in Thai society and 2) to examine the integration of salapao in contemporary Thai society as reflected in its names. 200 names of salapao with savory and sweet fillings consumed in Thailand between 2022 and 2024 are collected from the products of salapao brands in Bangkok and 24 provinces. …

The Motivations Of Chinese Digital Nomads In Moving To Chiang Mai, Thailand, Yifan Zhai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Digital nomadism, fueled by the rise of remote work opportunities and a desire for location independence, has become a prominent lifestyle choice for many individuals globally. Within this landscape, Chiang Mai, Thailand, has emerged as a favored destination for Chinese digital nomads, offering a unique blend of affordability, cultural richness, and conducive work environments. This paper presents an exploration into the motivations driving Chinese digital nomads to select Chiang Mai as their destination. Through a mixed-methods approach combining interviews and observation, this study seeks to uncover the underlying factors influencing their decision-making processes. Grounded in the theory of motivation and …

The Role Of Traditional Skirt (Sinh) In The Formation Of Lao National Identity In Post-1975 Lao Society, Aoi Takayama

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Lao People’s Democratic Republic was founded in 1975, and since then the government has tried to reinforce Lao national identity among its citizens. This research aims to study what kind of role the Lao female traditional skirt called the “Sinh” has played out in forming Lao national identity among the Lao people since the country’s establishment, and what kind of factors have affected the perspectives towards Sinh-wearing in Lao society. This research relies on both qualitative and quantitative methodology. The findings indicate that the Sinh has played an important role in constructing Lao women’s identity, and has had crucial role …

Coattailing For Regime Continuity?: Unraveling Duterte's Legacy In Marcos Jr.'S 2022 Electoral Victory, Gabrielle Ann S. Mendoza, Imelda B. Deinla, Cristine Lian C. Domingo, Jurel K. Yap

Ateneo School of Government Publications

The electoral victory of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been attributed to a range of factors such as misinformation, patronage, and populism. We argue that Marcos’ electoral victory should not be treated as an isolated instantaneous event, but rather a result of a shift in the country's political narrative due to the legacy of his predecessor. The shift to illiberal populism is tied to the public's continued support for Duterte's flagship policies as well as in the proliferation of populist rhetoric on social media. Using a non-probability survey of 1500 Filipinos, we find that support for President Duterte and his …

Neoliberal Shifts And Strategies Of Religious Adaptation In Post-War Sri Lanka, Orlando Woods

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Neoliberal shifts have brought about a centring of market logics, and a new focus on the individual as consumer. Some religious groups are better able to adapt to these shifts than others, which reveals the changing role of religion in people’s daily lives. This paper explores how the adaptive strategies of religious groups in response to neoliberalisation can trigger a reimagination of the role and value of religion in/to society. I illustrate these ideas through a comparative exploration of how Buddhist elites and evangelical Christians engage with theology, tradition, and the market in Sri Lanka. Whilst Buddhist elites struggle to …

“Fly Buddha To Mars”: The Co-Production Between Religiosity And Science & Technology At Longquan Monastery, Beijing, Han Zhang, Junxi Qian, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article attempts at a re-theorization towards the symbiosis and co-production of religion, modern science and technology, inspired by theoretical thinking within geographies of religion and science and technology studies (STS). Recent scholarship on the geographies of religion has made substantive advancements in discerning the convergence of religion and secular modernity. However, science and technology (S&T), as an essential condition and driving force of secular modernity, remain peripheral to this ongoing theoretical agenda, yet to be fully incorporated into the analytical framework about the co-constitution of religion and secular modernity, arguably because of the entrench divide between the rationalism of …

Lion City Zoopolis: Urban Crittizenship In Biophilic Singapore, George Wong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

A central theme of Singapore’s “City in Nature” vision is framed through biophilic urbanism, or efforts to harmonize biodiversity and urban development through built, social, and political design. The central discourses of Singapore’s biophilic urbanism have revolved around flora-centric paradigms, including habitat conservation, greening spaces, and access to natural capital. This paper detours from conventions of Singapore’s urban ecological futures and instead explores the governance of fauna co- existence in the city–state through the concept of “urban crittizenship.” Defined as a more-than-human denization framework that interrogates urban wildlife governance, urban crittizenship interrogates the politics of urban wildlife’s rights to the …

Research On The Industrial Chain Network-Driven Innovation Model Of China's Audio-Visual Industry Park, Yang Chen

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

This dissertation explores the model through which Chinese audio-visual industry parks drive innovation leveraging industrial chain networks, with Xing Guang Movie and Television Park as the core case study. It also integrates analyses of several other representative Chinese audio-visual industry parks. Based on these case analyses, it identifies critical elements essential for successful innovation within audio-visual industry parks driven by industrial chain networks, thereby providing a realistic foundation for the theoretical framework of the thesis.

Drawing on innovation theory, network theory, industrial chain network theory, and collaborative capability theory, this study abstracts the model driving innovation through industrial chain networks …

Childlessness And Sibling Positioning In Upward Intergenerational Support: Insights From Singapore, Dahye Kim, Christine Ho, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Research Collection School Of Economics

Objective: This brief report aims to explore the role of child-lessness and its interaction with sibling positioning (i.e., birth order and gender) in upward intergenerational support within the context of Asian familial and patrilineal values. Background: Despite the increasing rates of childlessness in Asia, little is known about how childless individuals deviate from or adhere to the patrilineal gendered practices of supporting their older parents. Singapore, a rapidly aging nation that emphasises Confucian familism values and patrilineal practices in guiding its welfare policies, provides an ideal setting for this research investigation. Method: We analysed a sample of 475 Singaporeans aged …

Not Why, But How: Applying The Sharp Edge Of The Law In Administrative Law Judicial Review In Singapore, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The management and control of power, and, in particular, the endeavour to strike the appropriate balance between affording governments the ability to act swiftly and decisively in the public interest while providing for adequate safeguards against governmental excess, is an intensely difficult undertaking. There is no one model that is correct for all times and all places.

The Geoeconomics Of Belt And Road Disputes: A Case Study On The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Mark Mclaughlin

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article argues that the dovetailing economic, geopolitical, and security interests that underpin the Belt and Road Initiative demands a dispute resolution mechanism that focuses on broader interests and legal rights. Using the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a case study, it identifies the conditions in which Chinese investors could have initiated an investment arbitration but did not. This can be explained by the rights-based orientation of investment treaties failing to reflect the interests of multi-project initiatives. Instead, alternative methods of home state intervention, such as state-funded political risk insurance, are used to protect investors. In other words, the political …

Historical Evolution Of The Late 20th-Century Maritime Claims, The Concept Of The Nine-Dash Line, And The Dispute In The South China Sea, Kamil Nowak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study discusses the origins and development of the South China Sea dispute. It briefly analyzes the overlapping maritime claims, their justifications and legal aspects, and key clashes between the actors across the second half of the 20th century. It uses a historical perspective to assess the present-day conflict. The study discusses the impact of international agreements, national policies, claimants' domestic factors, and external influences connected to the geopolitical situation of the period to determine how they influenced the dispute. The analysis reveals that amidst more pressing global events, the South China Sea issue was frequently overlooked by the international …

Singapore’S Emerging Regulatory Approach To Stablecoins, Rachel Phang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Monetary Authority of Singapore's vision to develop "an innovative and responsible digital asset ecosystem" has placed stablecoins firmly on the regulatory agenda. Stablecoins, as cryptoassets designed to maintain a stable value, are regarded as having the potential to serve as a tenable medium of exchange for the digital asset ecosystem - so long as they are well-regulated and securely backed. Both this vision of a flourishing digital asset ecosystem, as well as the specter of the instability wrought by the recent algorithmic stablecoin collapse, speak to the need for sound regulation of stablecoins. This article therefore seeks to critically …

Rethinking The Inclusionary Potential Of Religious Institutions: The Case Of Gurdwaras In Singapore, Siew Ying Shee, Orlando Woods

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Whilst Singapore’s Sikh community is relatively small, it is also heterogeneous. Its diversity reflects differences in ancestral and socio-economic backgrounds. As spaces of worship that regularly bring together the Sikh community in space and time, Sikh temples—gurdwaras––are often conceived as important places through which a shared sense of religiously-defined community is reproduced. Yet, as much as religion can provide a bridge that integrates people of different ethnic, racial, national, and linguistic groups into a single faith community, so too can it act as a buttress through which differences and divisions are enforced within the community. We argue that whilst gurdwaras …

Trust: The Feature That Vending Machines And Atms Share, But Simplygo Lacks, Sun Sun Lim

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The article discussed the intricacies of trust in the SimplyGo debacle and highlighted how the design of physical interfaces like vending machines and ATMs and digital interfaces from apps like Grab, Parking.sg and ShopBack have critical features to instil trust. People need to be reassured that their transactions have proceeded as they should, and thay have not been short-changed.

Opening The Black Box Of Fitness Tracking: Understanding The Mechanisms Of Feedback In Motivating Physical Activity Among Older Singaporeans, Sapphire H. Lin, Rich Ling, Sonny Rosenthal

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This paper examines how older adults interact with fitness trackers and how that interaction influences their physical activity. We carried out qualitative interviews with 22 individuals between the ages of 55 and 72 who had used fitness trackers as part of a six-week field experiment investigating the effects of feedback from fitness trackers and the social influence of their spouses. From their comments, we derived an explorative process model explaining the mechanisms and the four stages of effects arising from personalised feedback, namely, cognitive, affective, conative, and intuitive. These effects were grouped into internal and external dimensions. Three types of …

Shadow Bank, Risk-Taking, And Real Estate Financing: Evidence From The Online Loan Market, Xiaoying Deng, Chong Liu, Eng Seow Ong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper examines whether and how individual risk-taking behavior affects real estate financing through shadow banks. Using the loan data from an online platform in China, we show that riskier households tend to employ online loans to meet the increasing down-payment in their home purchase. Individual investors are likely to fund riskier real estate loans with higher expected returns. Real estate loans experience higher ex-post default rates than other types of loans. The effect is more pronounced during the period of credit constraints.

An Institutional And Policy Analysis Of Adaptive Capacity To Climate Change Of The Agricultural Sector Of Bangladesh, Calvin Wood Martin

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis evaluates the adaptive capacity of Bangladesh’s agricultural sector in the context of climate change, focusing on policy and institutional capacities. An analytic framework is applied to assess policy coherence, resources, and implementation effectiveness of key national and international policies. The study also examines aspects of institutional capacity, such as administration, technological innovation, protective infrastructure, and access to benefits and resources. Through expert interviews and a comprehensive literature review, the research identifies both strengths and challenges in current efforts to enhance climate resilience. The findings highlight areas for improvement, particularly in strengthening policy coherence, resource needs, and institutional support …

India's Security Threats From Chinese Military Funding And Economic Development In South Asia, Tran My Hai Loc

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

Since gaining independence in 1947, India's population, expansive land size, robust economic position, and historical and cultural ties have enabled it to dominate South Asian neighbours with comparatively less developed economies and weaker military strength. Since Narendra Modi assumed office as the Prime Minister of India in 2014, the “Neighbourhood First” policy was coined to enhance India's influence in South Asia, creating a favourable environment for its ascent as a global power. However, China's increasing military presence and influence in South Asia through financial and military support to neighbouring countries have disrupted the region's security architecture. This article uses qualitative …