Lords of Things: The Fashioning of the Siamese Monarchy's Modern Image

Book Description
Lords of Things offers an intriguing interpretation of modernity in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Siam by focusing on the novel material possessions and social practices adopted by the royal elite to refashion its self and public image in the early stages of globalization. It examines the westernized modes of consumption and self-presentation, the residential and representational architecture, and the public spectacles appropriated by the Bangkok court not as byproducts of institutional reformation initiated by modernizing sovereigns, but as practices and objects constitutive of the very identity of the royalty as a civilized and civilizing class. Bringing a wealth of new source material into a theoretically informed discussion, Lords of Things will be required reading for historians of Thailand and Southeast Asia scholars generally. It represents a welcome change from previous studies of Siamese modernization that are almost exclusively concerned with the institutional and economic dimensions of the process or with foreign relations, and will appeal greatly to those interested in transnational cultural flows, the culture of colonialism, the invention of tradition, and the relationship between consumption and identity formation in the modern era.

About the Author
Maurizio Peleggi is assistant professor of history at the National University of Singapore.


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Peleggi situates the creation of a modern royal image by the kings and other members of the royal family of Thailand from the 19th century to the present within the larger context of Victorian taste and style. Costume, houses, retreats, processions, ceremonial gateways, and public events are among the cultural productions considered in this fascinating study. Peleggi (history, National U. of Singapore) wrote an earlier version of this book as his dissertation at the Australian National U. Annotation c. Book News, Inc.,Portland, OR


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