Thai research

Leeds is the only UK university offering an undergraduate programme in Thai Studies which equips students with advanced language and intercultural skills. Thai Studies has been an integral part of East Asian Studies at Leeds since 2004. Professor Martin Seeger, who was ordained as a Buddhist monk in the late 1990s and now leads the research in this area, received the Royal Decoration of the Fifth Class of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn in 2013, in recognition of his work and efforts in promoting better understanding and appreciation of Thailand and its culture to the people in the UK.

Research strengths lie in the history of Buddhism in Thailand; contemporary movements in Thai Buddhism and their relations to society, politics and the economy; disputes on Buddhist doctrines in Thailand and gender in Thai Buddhism; religious tourism in Thailand.

Our ‘impact' takes on a variety of forms including working alongside policy-makers, think tanks and grassroots communities; staging performances, exhibitions, podcasts, public lectures and seminars through the Thai Forum; working closely with the media and producing documentary films. These activities not only help us to embed our work more widely into public life but also enrich our work further by enabling us to recognise and respond to the wider public’s views.