Nowhere are such norms more generalized than in Thailand, the largest of the Thai homelands. Practically every ethnicity in Thailand, whether of Thai ancestry or not, has to a greater or lesser degree been assimilated into the Thai mainstream. Such adaptations do not necessarily represent a cultural loss. Ekawit Na Talang, a scholar of Thai culture and head of the Thai government's National Cultural Commission, defines culture as 'the system of thought and behaviour of a particular society - something which is dynamic and never static'. Talang and other world culture experts agree that it's paradoxical to try to protect a culture from foreign influences, realizing that cultures cannot exist in a vacuum.
Culture evolves naturally as outside influences undergo processes of naturalization.
As Talang has theorized, 'Anything obsolete, people will reject and anything that has a relevant role in life, people will adopt and make it part of their culture'. The Thais themselves don't really have a word that corresponds to the term 'culture'. The nearest equivalent, 'watanatham', emphasizes fine arts and ceremonies over other aspects usually covered by the concept. So if you ask Thais to define their culture, they'll often talk about architecture, food, dance, festivals and the like. Nevertheless there are certain aspects of Thais society that virtually everyone recognizes as 'Thai' cultural markers.