“Farang Sakdina” and a Concept of Caste Division by Treasure and Dignity from M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s Work

Abstract

This article was sparked by reading a book titled “Farang Sakdina” (Feudal Farang) of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, which provides knowledge on the history, the origin, including the principles of caste stratification in Western societies under the feudal regime. The roots of feudalism originated in the Roman Empire for the first time and in an era when the government was so weak that it could not provide thorough protection for the people. Although, feudalism was a common convention in the Roman Empire, such as in the territories of today's France and Germany, but it has developed into a complete point in British territory. The main principle is that the whole country's land belongs to the king, and the right of land was used to determine the status and duties of all people. Thailand was ruled by feudalism from the reign of King Borommatrailokkanat of the Ayutthaya period until the reign of King Rama V of the Rattanakosin period. A person's dignity is measured by the number of rai, which is a measure of rice field area. Then feudalism was used as a criterion for determining the rights, duties and status of a person. Reading the work of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj also reveals that the number of cows was used as a measure of honor and influence of a person in the Vedic age’s Aryan society, and Zambian society in South Africa before and after it emerged from British colonialism. However, the division of wealth and dignity in Western societies such as England is different from Eastern societies such as India, Thailand, including Zambian societies in the South African region. For in the Eastern world, "treasures" consisting of tangible objects such as land and cattle, and intangible object such as feudalism. Moreover, "dignity" in the sense of the person's status resulting from such possessions was not always go together. In addition, although Aryan societies in the Vedic age, including Zambia in the South African region, cows were used to assess the status of a person in the same way that Britain and Thailand used feudalism, but it's just the values of the people in one period of time, It is not a fixed rule nor it is established as a law.