Folk Healers in Community-based Research: Paradigm Shift of Community Health Research

Abstract

The economic and social crises that have occurred in Thailand as a result of development based on capitalism have prompted various groups of people to look back at Thai traditional knowledge of health care, especially folk medicine, which can help the country become more self-reliant regarding health care. As folk
healers still play an important role in the health of the Thai people, especially in rural areas, more research is needed in order to utilize their knowledge to the fullest extent. However, it has been found that research conducted on folk healers so far has not served or benefited the communities that own the knowledge as much as it should have. The Thailand Research Fund has therefore shifted its research paradigm and its funding toward “community-based research” that enables people in the community to conduct research in order to solve their own problems with the assistance of researchers such as consultants, supporters, and facilitators. This paper discusses the principles of “community-based research” and the “paradigm shift of community health research” in order to help build rural communities in Thailand into knowledge-based societies.