Myanmar Migrant Workers as Guests of the Nation

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn the past 20 years, the number of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand has increased tremendously. Due to several criminal incidents in which offenders were Myanmar workers shown in the news over the last decade, many Thais have developed prejudice against Myanmar migrant workers. This article contends that a museum can be a starting point in creating social change through focused research, exhibition design, and community engagement. I will explain how field research allowed the exhibit development team to gain first-hand experiences with Myanmar migrant workers and overcome their own prejudice. This attitude change among team members led to the overarching concept of the Myanmar Up-Close exhibition, which was that direct contact with Myanmar migrant workers could make Thai people understand migrants better and ultimately reduced prejudice against them. Thus, the exhibition, education programs, and the public event were all designed to encourage interactions between Thais and the Myanmar.