Research & Article

This paper is a study of the definitions of the past of Lamphun. Its main objective is to address the question of how the narratives in the selectes museums in Lamphun reflect the public’s thoughts and perceptions of Lamphun. These museums are (1) Hariphumjaya National Museum (2) Urban Lamphun Community Museum (3) Venerable ‘Kru Ba’ Srivijaya Museum (4) Wat Ton Kaew Museum. Although the findings indicate that the perceptions of the past in each museum has different emphasis on the past events and periods, they share two underlying principles regarding what constitutes as the past and how to define cultural heritage.

(1) The perception of the past in each museum indicates two different historiographies. One regards Lamphun as a part of the whole nation, particularly its connection with the centre. The other, on the contrary, sees it in terms of local dynamism, or “Lamphun on its own”

(2) What constitutes as cultural heritage in each museum are liberally defined by the locals. It is true that although their constructions of the “past” are not necessarily the same as the past seen by the centre, the spaces in question do not solely fit into the dichotomy between ‘the nation vs the local’. Current social, cultural, and economical contexts are very much in play. Notable factors include tourism, local politics, state policies, and ethnicity.