The Body and Sexuality in Siam
A First Exploration in Early Sources
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14822952 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Barend Jan Terwiel |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 42-55 |
| Publication date | 2007-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Manusya Journal of Humanities (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0859-9920 • E-ISSN: 2665-9077 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1163/26659077-01004003 |
| OpenAlex | W2944726456 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 4 |
In this article some aspects of the relationship between the degree of display of the uncovered body and sexuality are explored, using data from Thai historical sources. A close look at some illustrations in manuscripts from the Ayutthaya and Thonburi periods establishes that prior to the middle of the nineteenth century, Siamese etiquette allowed for large parts of the body to be exposed to public gaze. It is assumed that this may have affected attitudes towards sexuality. A hypothesis whereby the relatively generous display of the human body is correlated with a larger degree of matter-of-factness towards the body and has an effect on courting behaviour is tested on historical and ethnographical data. At first sight the hypothesis appears to be confirmed but because of the scantiness of the data at hand, further research is needed before a proper theory of early Thai sexuality can be developed
Aesthetics · Art · Ethnography · Etiquette · Gaze · Human sexuality · Linguistics · Psychoanalysis · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Gender Studies · History · Philosophy · Psychology · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |