Betel Chewing and Its Transformation into the identity of the Thao Kao Group of Students at Mahasarakham University within a Multicultural Society during 2007-2025

Abstract

This article aims to explain the culture of betel nut chewing and its transformation into the identity of the student group known as “Thao Kao MSU” at Mahasarakham University from B.E. 2007-2025. The study employs a local historical approach, drawing on documentary research, relevant academic studies, and oral history interviews with individuals who participated in this cultural practice. The findings reveal that the culture of betel nut chewing at Mahasarakham University originated among students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Music in B.E. 2007. During this period, betel nut chewing was practiced discreetly due to prevailing social contexts and institutional values within higher education. By B.E. 2011 increased support for cultural diversity from university authorities encouraged students to express and acknowledge their cultural practices more openly. Subsequently in B.E. 2017 the group adopted the name “Thao Kao MSU” forming a collective dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of betel nut chewing culture. The group attracted attention from external audiences and was represented through social media platforms, leading to the reinterpretation and development of betel nut chewing as a distinctive group identity. The continued existence of “Thao Kao MSU” reflects the creation of a cultural space in which a once-prominent traditional practice is reappropriated to challenge dominant modern discourses and values within the multicultural social context of Mahasarakham University.