Liberating Thai History
The Thai Past in an Asian Century
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14823124 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Arjun Subrahmanyan (0000-0003-1677-1670, Murdoch University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Publication date | 2024-04-01 |
| 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 | 10.1163/26659077-26010020 |
| OpenAlex | W4393943470 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
The nationalist plot of modern Thai history stresses the kingdom’s exceptionalism as the only un-colonized state in Southeast Asia and highlights the steadiness of unbroken monarchy. Critics of the established narrative by contrast argue that Siam/Thailand bore many similarities to neighboring satellites of the Western powers that subordinated traditional authority and hence was a “semi-colony” of the West rather than a truly independent state. This paper argues that the semi-colonial view remains a better frame to study modern Thai history and that semi-coloniality produced a hybrid political culture among an educated new generation born around 1900. The young generation forged the popular struggles that after the 1932 end of the absolute monarchy sought to build a more fair and equitable society. These aspirations and the hybrid political culture of the time are a crucial but often overlooked part of modern Thai history
Absolute monarchy · American exceptionalism · Ancient history · Art · Colonialism · Ethnology · Exceptionalism · Genealogy · Literature · Modern history · Monarchy · Narrative · Nationalism · Political culture · Political economy · Political history · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State formation · Asian Studies and History · Gender Studies · History · Law · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |