MON ETHNIC IDENTITY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC SPACE OF THE “JIA MONG RONG MON DEUNG RATCHABURI” FESTIVAL
Keywords:
Mon ethnic identity, Public space, Social construction, Semiotics, Cultural tourismAbstract
This study on Mon ethnic identity and the construction of public space in the Jia Mong Rong Mon Doeng Festival in Ratchaburi Province aims to examine the expression of Mon ethnic identity within the festival context and analyze the process of constructing public space as a site of communication and meaning-making. The research adopts a qualitative methodology, employing a phenomenological framework combined with processual analysis. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and field surveys.
The conceptual framework integrates three key perspectives: (1) the concept of public space, which explains the role of the festival as a site for communication and participation; (2) the concept of ethnic identity, which views identity as a socially constructed and dynamic process shaped by cultural expression and socio-cultural contexts; and (3) the concept of semiotics, which interprets cultural elements as representations of shared meanings, beliefs, and collective memory. These perspectives are interconnected in explaining the communicative processes and the construction of identity within the festival space.
The findings reveal that the festival functions as a public space that facilitates the expression and construction of Mon identity through various cultural activities, including performances, processions, demonstrations of local knowledge, and cultural markets. Mon identity is not fixed; rather, it is continuously constructed and reconstructed through processes of selection, representation, communication, interpretation, negotiation, and reproduction. Simultaneously, the festival space is constructed as a processual public space that enables participation, symbolic communication, and the co-creation of shared meanings. This suggests that the festival is not merely a venue for cultural activities but serves as a significant mechanism for the communication, negotiation, and reproduction of ethnic identity in contemporary society.
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