A Social Movement for Reading Promotion: From ‘Chiang Mai Reads’ to the ‘Chiang Mai Reading & Learning Council’ as a Grassroots Cultural Practice

Abstract

Reading is a fundamental skill and an important cultural practice. However, Thailand continues to face persistent inequality in access to reading promotion. This research employs a case study of Chiang Mai - a major city that nonetheless reflects the problem of unequal access to reading, while state mechanisms continue to face multidimensional challenges. This article aims to examine the role of non-state actors in cultural practices to open spaces and promote reading in response to the city’s limitations, through case studies of the Chiang Mai Reads Network and the Chiang Mai Reading & Learning Council. This qualitative research utilizes documentary analysis together with field research through physical surveys and in-depth interviews using semi-structured interview guides with diverse target groups, including librarians, teachers, network representatives, and school youth, drawing on the conceptual frameworks of new social movements and cultural capital. The findings reveal that non-state actors play a significant role as a new social movement in challenging structural inequality, expressed through three main roles: 1) symbolic mobilization through the use of local narratives to connect with social problems and reframe the meaning of reading; 2) the construction of grassroots mechanisms for cultivating reading habits through collaboration with networks of child development center teachers and practitioners; and 3) the creation of mediating spaces and institutional transition through the establishment of the Chiang Mai Reading & Learning Council, in order to link collaborative work with state organizations, advance policy, and shape the city’s reading direction in ways that sustainably respond to marginalized groups and multicultural communities.