S8-8

Understandings, Valorizations and Survival of Urban Religious Heritage in Bangkok

Fine Arts Department, Thailand

Bangkok is a diverse and living city with a complex cultural heritage structured around its religious past. As with other rapidly developing and dynamic urban centres across the world, the heritage fabric is being impacted by wider pressures active in the city and undergoing a series of changes in value, form and function. These changes are reflected in shifting relationships between religious heritage places and different groups of people operating in the urban context of a modern society. This research investigates the changing dynamics of religious and secular activities within a selection of Buddhist heritage monuments in Bangkok including royal monasteries, civic monasteries and spirit shrines. The study investigates these changing perspectives through the views and activities of various key stakeholders, policy makers, site managers and local communities involved with religious heritage sites and related practices. Multiple methods were employed to construct the dataset and map the modes of monument utilization, protection and management of these urban religious heritage sites, and to determine relationships with local communities. This included interviews, observation and archival analysis to understand. The research outcomes highlight the important role that social and political hierarchies play in heritage debates. It also demonstrates how selectivity in the way that some sites are promoted and protected through patronage and tourism in the city impact on overall heritage management strategies. The work opens a wider discussion about the ways that religious heritage is valued and valorised by local communities and other individuals with an interest. The paper is based on my PhD thesis entitled Religious Heritage of Bangkok: Uses and Survival in an Urban Context, submitted at Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom in 2019.