Thai Middle Class’s Narratives about Self-Reliance, 2540s-2550s BC

Abstract

This article studies the concept of self-reliance in the emotional expression of a group of Thai middle-class. It investigates two types of activities: traveling to self-reliant communities, and self-reliant agricultural-based entrepreneurship. The main sources are the writings, records, reports, videos, and other media on the internet of those activities. The 1997 economic crisis changed the Thai middle-class’s attitude over the relationship between Thailand and globalization. Their optimism, a result from the prosperous economy in the previous decade, was turned upside down. In the meantime, the concept of self-sufficiency economy of King Rama IX of which the notion of self-reliance was essential, was promoted by Thai authorities. As a result, narratives of their traveling to self-reliant communities and self-reliant agricultural-based entrepreneurship were an emotional expression of the Thai middle-class. Their hopes for better situations in Thai society and their own private lives were expressed through those narratives.