International and Area Studies Commons^™

The Representation Of The Lgbtq2+ Community In The Context Of Pride Month In Thai Online Media From 2022 To 2025, Julia Borawska

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis examines the representation of Thai Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community in Thai online media between 2022 and 2025. It provides a comprehensive analysis of content featured on both individual- and organization-based media, distinguishing between social media and mainstream news outlets. Within the social media sphere, the study further differentiates between influential Thai celebrities—particularly actors and actresses involved in queer-portraying productions—and organizational entities involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy as well as BL/GL production companies. The first two groups rarely feature queer-related content or express explicit support for Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community, choosing to engage only when personally …

Identity, Norms And Recognition : A Constructivist Account Of Singapore–Taiwan Relations Under Strategic Constraint, Mohamad Faisal Bin Jamain

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis examines the enduring resilience of the Singapore–Taiwan relationship, which persists despite intensifying geopolitical constraints, rising diplomatic risks and modest material incentives. This persistence presents a realist paradox: while traditional materialist accounts establish the structural constraints (such as the “One China” policy and great-power rivalry) that rationally predict disengagement, they fail to systematically account for the specific mechanisms and ideational strategies that underpin the relationship's resilience. Addressing this critical theoretical gap, this study applies a constructivist framework centred on identity, norms and recognition, situating these ideational insights alongside material and geopolitical constraints to offer a holistic explanation. The primary …

Chilean Perceptions Of Thailand As Seen Through Social Media (2015 – 2024), Nicolas Agustin Castillo Aldunce

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis has two main objectives: 1) to examine the perception of Thailand as seen in Chilean social media between 2015 and 2024 and 2) to identify the prevailing narratives and stereotypes and underline the factors responsible for these perceptions. 120 social media posts about Thailand from 11 institutional and independent Chilean content creators are collected and analyzed and Richard Gregory’s theory of perception is applied as its theoretical framework. It is found that there was an increase in online contents related to Thailand since 2015 after the ratification of Chile-Thailand Free Trade Agreement, particularly between 2022 to 2024 when …

Imagining Peace From Abroad : How Myanmar Students In Bangkok Define Peace, Shinhyoung Choi

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This thesis examines how Myanmar students living in Bangkok understand and define peace through their everyday experiences, social positions, and transnational lives. Drawing on a multi-stage, qualitatively driven research design—including a narrative survey, a structured follow-up survey, and in-depth interviews—the study investigates how students’ peace perceptions emerge while they navigate between Myanmar’s instability and Bangkok’s relative institutional order.Findings from 105 participants show that students’ peace orientations cluster into two dominant narratives: a Development-Oriented Narrative emphasizing education, opportunity, and gradual change, and a Resistance-Oriented Narrative emphasizing justice, accountability, and structural reform. Although the initial hypothesis assumed that Bangkok’s stability would directly …

Walkable City Development In Bangkok : A Case Study Of The Ari-Pradiphat Area, Shengnan Li

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Walkable city development has become an important concept in sustainable urban mobility development, because it can create multiple benefits to improve people’s quality of life. Bangkok city has joined this walkability initiative, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), promoted “Bangkok Good Walk Project”. However, it still faces challenges in improving walkability, such as lack of safety, discomfort, and inaccessibility. Previous walkability study have focused more on physical walking conditions and fewer in people’s walking perception, although perception is a key step for improvement. It is necessary to supplement the existing knowledge of people’s walking perception to promote walkable city development. Following this …

The Popularity Of The Untamed In Thailand And I Told Sunset About You In China : Reciprocal Fandom And Cultural Diplomacy, Yuanwei Gao

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aims to explore cross-cultural fan interactions between China and Thailand and their influence on cultural diplomacy. In recent years, television dramas from both China and Thailand have gained remarkable popularity in the respective countries. Among various types of dramas, BL (Boys’ Love) dramas stand out as a typical case of transnational fan interaction due to their large cross-border audience and highly active online and offline interaction. Among them, the Chinese TV drama The Untamed (Chen Qing Ling) has received wide attention in Thailand, and the Thai TV drama I Told Sunset About You (แปลรักฉันด้วยใจเธอ) has sparked heated discussions …

Peripheral Rebels: Western-Derived Symbols Of Resistance In Thai And Colombian Films About Male Youth Subculture, Andres David Garcia Suarez

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This paper examines how Thai and Colombian films portrays marginalized male youth reworking Western countercultural symbols as forms of empowerment and resistance. Focusing on Nonzee Nimibutr’s Dang Bireley’s and Young Gangsters (1997) and Víctor Gaviria’s Rodrigo D: No Future (1990), it examines how Thai gangsters in 1950s Bangkok and Colombian punks in 1980s Medellín confront structural violence and generational alienation through the rearticulation of American rock and roll and British punk. Drawing on Homi K.Bhabha´s notion of cultural resignification, García Canclini´s theory of cultural hybridization, and Theodor Roszak´s understanding of counterculture, this paper analyzes how both films depict the adoption …

Religion And Culinary Practices In Thailand : From Buddhist And Islamic Dietary Restrictions To Social Hierarchy And Identity, Gao Yaxuan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study adopts the analytical framework of "food as a moral economy" to explore how the dietary practices of Buddhism and Islam in Thailand constitute two parallel yet complementary religious ethical systems, and further shape social relations and cultural identities. The research holds that in the social environment of Thailand, "eating" and "giving food" are not only the satisfaction of physiological needs, but also important ways for religious values to be practiced, expressed and negotiated in daily life. The Buddhist mechanism of almsgiving and accumulating virtue emphasizes the establishment of emotional networks and social reciprocity through diet. The halal dietary …

From Chinese Danmei To Thai Y-Series : A Case Study Of The Sino-Thai Co-Produced Y-Series My Stand-In, Xinyi Su

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study examines the Sino-Thai co-produced series My Stand-In as a case of cultural translation and dissemination of Chinese Danmei (Boys’ Love) fiction through transnational screen adaptation. It analyzes narrative transformation, localization, and cultural reproduction across three levels: text, industry, and audience. Reviewing the development of Chinese Danmei from 2006 to 2025, the study shows that My Stand-In exemplifies a collaborative production model in which Chinese platforms provide financing and distribution while Thai teams lead production. The series retains the original storyline while adapting visual and cultural elements to the Thai context. At the communication level, the series’ circulation is …

Opportunities And Challenges Of Thailand's Durian Exports To The Chinese Market, Yafang Tang

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Thailand remains the world's leading durian exporter, with China emerging as its most dynamic and influential import market. This thesis explores the competitiveness of Thai durian exports to China amid intensifying regional rivalry. Its objectives are threefold: (1) to evaluate Thailand's internal strengths and weaknesses; (2) to identify opportunities and threats in the Chinese market; and (3) to benchmark Thailand against Vietnam and Malaysia to formulate strategic recommendations. The study employs a mixed approach, combining SWOT analysis with Porter's Diamond Model and using secondary data, policy documents, and industry reports. Findings reveal that Thailand's competitive advantage lies in large-scale production, …

Foucauldian Discourses At The Intersection Of Climate-Induced Migration And Cultural Heritage, Samantha L. Stuhlmiller

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The worsening climate crisis has created and exacerbated issues of migration, cultural heritage and power relations issues. States and communities worldwide face large-scale challenges that must be addressed to protect individuals and ensure the longevity of nations and their cultures. This thesis utilizes Foucauldian theories of power through a critical discourse analysis of relevant documents in international law, state policy, and research to assess how discourses impact the design and implementation of policies and practices that are intended to mitigate and solve these issues in Kiribati, Tuvalu, and for the Rohingya. When there are discrepancies between discourses created and reinforced …

I Am Not A Dictator; I Am A Defender: The Rhetoric Of Coup D’État In Francophone Africa, Isaac Asare Kwakye

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the rhetorical strategies used by coup leaders in Francophone Africa to authorize their actions and garner public support. Focusing on recent military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger since 2020, I investigate how coup leaders construct narratives of legitimacy within the context of contemporary geopolitical dynamics. I utilize Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to analyze speeches by three key coup leaders: Colonel Assimi Goïta, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, and General Abdourahamane Tchiani. My analysis reveals four interconnected rhetorical frameworks: framing interventions as emergency measures, cultivating savior personas, weaponizing anti-colonial grievances, and deploying anti-corruption narratives. A comparative analysis of …

Liberalizing The Nuclear Energy Sector: Small Modular Reactors, Net-Zeros, And Perceptions In India, Hely Desai

International Journal of Nuclear Security

The experimental small modular reactors (SMRs) have come to gain immense attention and importance given the global quest to quickly achieve net-zero goals. The Indian Government, too, has been pushing for SMRs to aid its industrial decarbonization targets and eventually wield the supply mediation in the race to acquire this novel technology. However, one of the key debates driving SMR discourse in India is the dilemma of allowing the involvement of the private sector into the nuclear energy realm. Although this idea seems to be an exciting solution to India’s energy woes, the reevaluation of a 60-year-old energy law comes …

Women In Nuclear Security: The United Arab Emirates Story, Mohamad Z. Zineddin

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Historically in the United Arab Emirates, security personnel stationed at nuclear sites were typically men with military or policing backgrounds. Although these groups bring important, transferrable skills and experience to the nuclear security mission, some Emirati stakeholders recognize the increased benefit of a greater diversity of voices and backgrounds within the nuclear security team hierarchy. By recruiting from a wider range of disciplines and encouraging gender diversity, the security team could develop broader insight into security challenges, and a greater variety of perspectives could bring forth more innovative solutions.

When aligning a diverse, multinational workforce with a common mission, all …

The Role Of Human Security In Addressing The Inclusion Of Women: Nuclear Security And The Women, Peace And Security Agenda In Jordan And Egypt, Yara Shaban, Jasmine Auda

International Journal of Nuclear Security

This paper argues for a human security approach to women’s participation in nuclear security that stems from the larger Women, Peace and Security framework. This approach incorporates a gender perspective and a feminist lens that argues that women’s participation should extend beyond the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to include an understanding of the centrality of women’s role from a human security approach in peacebuilding participation, negotiation, and conflict prevention. The paper explores this nexus by reviewing Egypt and Jordan’s approach to Women, Peace and Security and argues for framing women’s inclusion within a human security perspective. The review revealed …

Hungarian Ruling Political Party Fidesz’S ‘Soft Power’ Use Of Religion: Themes, Networks, Partnerships, Alexander Faludy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article aims to stimulate better understanding of Fidesz’s use of religion as a ‘soft power’ tool. Exploring the Hungarian government’s ‘soft power’ has lately engaged the attention of professional researchers. The use of religious messaging, networks, and opinion formers to propagate positive images of Fidesz abroad has, however, largely been overlooked. This essay argues that such use has been both substantial and successful. The article’s primary focus will be on the use made of Christianity in government aligned communications and network building. Attention will, however, also be paid to the subsidiary roles played by Fidesz’s outreach to both Jewish …

The Social Policy Of Churches In Ukraine Today: Theoretical Foundations And Practical Implementation, Oleksandr Sagan, Mechyslav Yanauer

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the engagement of Ukrainian churches in addressing social challenges, emphasizing historical continuity and contemporary responses, particularly in the context of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war. The study highlights diverse social services provided by religious institutions, including chaplaincy, rehabilitation, advocacy, and humanitarian aid, noting significant contributions during pivotal moments such as the Orange Revolution, the Revolution of Dignity, and the recent military conflict. Religious organizations notably support military personnel, displaced persons, and trauma victims, and actively participate in international advocacy through diplomatic channels. The article explores the current state of social doctrines, highlighting the ongoing development and adaptation process …

A Forgotten Piece Of History: The Story Of The First Municipal Council Of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Chandra Richard De Silva

History Faculty Publications

The website of the Municipal Council of Colombo asserts that it was founded in 1865 (Colombo Municipal Council, 2015). This is also the story that is recounted in scholarly histories of Colombo, in modern websites and in popular accounts of the history of the city. The objective of this article is to demonstrate that Colombo had a municipal council as early as the sixteenth century and to illuminate the story of its existence for over 70 years - until well into the seventeenth century. It also explores the functions of the council, its relationship with Portuguese officials who ruled the …

Health Disparities After Redlining: A Comparative Analysis Of Health Outcomes And Health Disparities In Richmond, Virginia And Portland, Oregon, Amal Ali

Araneum: Richmond Journal of American & Global Affairs

Redlining was a discriminatory housing practice introduced by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation that denied loans and mortgages to Black residents and resulted in a heavily entrenched system of economic discrimination in the U.S. Existing literature points to a strong relationship between redlining and worsened health outcomes in communities of color. For example, redlining is associated with a higher risk of heart failure, a higher risk of death from breast cancer, and a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. While previous research has focused on the relationship between redlining and health outcomes and proposed several possible interventions, there is a lack …

Religion In The Republic Of Georgia, Emma L. Lilyea, Alexander Lorenz

University of South Carolina Upstate Student Research Journal

This article examines the role of religion in the Republic of Georgia, emphasizing the historical and contemporary influence of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) on the nation’s identity, politics, and society. Drawing on multiple sources, including the U.S. Department of State’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Georgia, the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook, and works by Giuli Alasania, Ramaz Shengelia, Lika Kobeshavidze, and Stephen R. Hussar, this study analyzes the religious demographics of Georgia and the relationship between church and state. The findings reveal that Orthodox Christianity remains dominant, with 83% of the population identifying with the …