PHI TA KHON PERFORMING GANGNAM STYLE DANCE: A CASE STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF TOURISM INDUSTRY ON THE CHANGING CULTURAL MEANING.

Abstract

This article presents a case study of the impact of tourism industry on host community. A textual analysis of the narrative elements of the video clip “ผีตาโขนเต้นกังนัมสไตล์” (Phi Ta Khon Performing Gangnam Style Dance) produced by the Dansai Municipality is employed to unpack the meaning-making process that generates the new meaning of “being touristy” to the Phi Ta Khon tradition of Dansai, Loei Province, which is different from the definition made by the Dansai residents. The textual analysis also renders comprehensible the conflict between the municipality and the residents caused by their different meaning-making approaches. While the Phi Ta Khon tradition is seen by the municipality as a “culture for sale,” to the residents of Dansai, its cultural significance is the result of the combined socio-historical contexts of Dansai. The municipality’s clip production without consulting the residents reveals the local government’s intervention which subsequently leads to the conflict between the authorities and the community.