Questioning research in music: Case studies from Thailand

This session explores two complementary orientations in musical research: research that documents, preserves, and develops knowledge already embedded in practice, and research that seeks to create something that does not yet exist. While the latter involves greater uncertainty and may not produce predictable outcomes, both approaches continually inform one another. Drawing on case studies from Thailand, the session considers how researchers, artists, and institutions negotiate preservation, experimentation, and expectations of research outcomes. 

Connecting directly with the symposium theme Curiosity and Courage, curiosity encourages us to question and explore, while courage enables institutions to support research whose outcomes cannot be guaranteed in advance. 

The session will conclude with an open discussion on what counts as research in music and how institutions can create space for both continuity and experimentation.