Dr. Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool is Director of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Paritta received her PhD in Anthropology from Cambridge University in 1981. Her dissertation research examined transformations of Nang Talung shadow puppet theatre in Southern Thailand. Since becoming the Director of the Princess Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Dr. Paritta has spearheaded research and capacity-building projects with Thailand’s community-based museums. Findings from her work with monastery museums were published in an article entitled “Contextualising objects in Monastery Museums in Thailand,” in Buddhist Legacies in Mainland Southeast Asia : Mentalities, Interpretations and Practices (2006). Dr. Paritta has also initiated and collaborated on numerous Centre projects dealing with the transmission and documentation of cultural heritage. For instance, in 2007, SAC joined the Smithsonian Institute in organizing the Mekong River: Connecting Cultures program for the 2007 Folklife Festival, held in Washington D.C. Her research interests include traditional performance, art and crafts, anthropology of museums, cultural identity, cultural history, biography and ethnography and practical knowledge.