05/06/2026
The Thai Studies section of our Department, in collaboration with the Hamburger Gesellschaft für Thaiistik e.V. (HGT), organised the annual Thai Cultural Day (Thai-Tag) at the Asia-Africa Institute of the University of Hamburg on 30 May 2026. Under the theme “Thailand through the Lens of Photography,” the event brought together students, scholars, artists, and friends of Thailand from Germany and abroad.
The event was opened by representatives of the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin and the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate in Hamburg, followed by a traditional Thai dance. In the morning session, the academic programme focused on photography as a medium of history, culture, and identity. The three keynote lectures, “Lan Na History and Culture through Photography,” “Photography and Conservation in Northern Thailand,” and “Thai Society through the Eyes of a Photographer,” offered different but complementary perspectives on the role of visual media in understanding Thailand past and present.
A highlight for students was the Photographic Students’ Competition, “Thailand in the Eyes of Students.” More than 26 submissions were presented in an exhibition in Room 122, where visitors were invited to vote for their favourite photograph and thus serve as the jury. The prize winners were announced later in the programme, together with short presentations on the stories behind their images and how they reflect aspects of Thai cultural identity.
Parallel sessions provided further opportunities for exchange and orientation. In Room 221, a career forum presented by the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin and the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate in Hamburg featured six students from Heidelberg and Hamburg, who reported on their internships and practical experiences in Thailand. In Room 232, five young scholars from Hamburg, Mainz, and Berlin presented current research topics ranging from historical source studies to entrepreneurship, gender, and visual approaches in contemporary Thai studies.
The afternoon programme also included a presentation by Karandeep Singh on gender, memory, and funerary culture in Thailand. Throughout the day, a classical Thai music ensemble led by Ms. Amphan Schmidt performed several pieces after the opening in the morning, again in the afternoon, and at the close of the event, lending Thai-Tag a distinctive musical thread. Supported by the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin, the Royal Thai Honorary Consulate in Hamburg, and the Krohn Foundation, Thai-Tag 2026 successfully combined scholarship, student engagement, and cultural performance in a celebration of Thailand through images, sounds, and shared perspectives.
