LOCAL HEROES IN THE PERCEPTION OF PRINCE DAMRONG RAJANUPAB : A CASE STUDY OF AN ANECDOTE OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN SIAM AND BURMA

Abstract

The Anecdote of the Battle between Siam and Burma, one of the best works of Prince Damrong Rajanupab, depicts the wars between Siam and Burma. His background as the son of King Rama IV and Chao Chom Chum made him spending his life during the period that Siam was confronting the political influences of the western imperialism. After the great power China was defeated by the UK in the opium war in 1842, Siam made a revision and adapted their policy due to the awareness of the threatening danger of imperialism and the political and administration pressure, Siam thus modernized the kingdom in the western direction. The balancing power was shaped by portraying that Siam has been a kingdom with a long root of history and culture yielding the boom on archeology, history and culture. Prince Damrong Rajanupab was interested in history and wrote a huge collection of history. The Anecdote of the Battle between Siam and Burma is an influential work affecting Thai historical perception. It creates the awareness of heroic deeds of heroic kings and local heroes. The latter has shown that not only the ruling class fought for our nation, but the local residents also participated in reconstructing the nation. The local residents’ heroic deeds depicted in The Anecdote of the Battle between Siam and Burma represent the civil participation in wars in order to protect the nation. The social participation of fighting against the enemies in order to protect the land corresponds with a civil role in advancing and strengthening the society through the unified heart and soul in dealing with the imperialism which was the political enemy of Siam.