Polladach Theerappapisit
School of Social Sciences, UWS
Transforming Mekong’s Water Culture: Perceptions from the Ground
The rich and diverse traditional cultures of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia have been transforming from agricultural-based to trading and tourism economic activities. With increasing interest and activities from international infrastructure development projects such as the Asian Development Bank and multi-government agencies, local ethnic communities in the Mekong Region have suffered from a top-down pressure to change, both physically and culturally, for perceived short-term economic benefits. Lack of local participation in the planning process is a crucial issue to be addressed in achieving sustainable development outcomes. In a doctoral study conducted during 2000-2001, one of the research methods was to use a ‘picture drawing’ technique to project local perceptions of desirable future ethnic village development against what top-level policymakers have planned and implemented. Woman and children are the two major groups that at present have insufficient opportunity to be involved in deciding their own development outcomes, although both have clearly very strong cultural links to the Mekong’s water culture.
There is thus a need for further in-depth research to explore how women and children could be more involved in such a dynamic process of economic change in the sub-region.
Biography
Poll has worked with UWS as a lecturer since 2001. His background was in a wide range of practice over 10 years in architecture, landscaping, urban design and planning as well as real estate and project management. In 1998, three years after his Masters degree in Urban Planning, he worked as a planner for the ADB project on Mekong Tourism Planning. This work inspired him to develop his Ph.D. proposal to study in England and then at the University of Melbourne. After 8 years of ups and downs, his thesis is nearing completion and is now entitled: “Tourism Planning and Policy: Local Perspectives on Development and Participation – A Study of Ethnic Communities in Northern Thailand”. During 2003 to the present, he has had published seven refereed papers in those research areas linking community-based cultural tourism planning and ethics in tourism development.
Email: P.THEE@uws.edu.au