The Construction of Meaning for Women in Lanna Jataka Literary Works

Abstract

The objectives of this research paper were: 1) to study the concept of meaning construction of woman in patriarchy and, 2) to analyze the meaning construction of woman in Lanna Jataka. The qualitative research method was used to analyze four Lanna Jatakas namely; 1) kusa Jataka, 2) Nang Uththra, 3) Candaghat Jataka, and 4) Suprommokkha Mah Kao Hang. The findings of this study were presented in descriptive analysis. The results of the research showed that 1) The meaning construction of woman in patriarchy will be controlled and reproduced from a male perspective. Therefore, femininity is under the power of men who can choose and adopt the desirable qualities of women to be reproduced and conveyed naturally and realistically in order to strengthen the legitimacy of male power; 2) The Lanna Jataka has constructed the meanings of woman presenting through the image representation of women in various positions as follows; (1) mother (2) wife (3) a man’s property (4) a dependent gender, (5) a sex object, and (6) a symbol of uncleanness and impurity. It can be seen that there are various forms of image presentation of women depending on how the authors or producers will give the meanings to the woman. Lanna Jataka is, therefore, considered as an area to construct meanings and image presentation of woman to people in Lanna society, which are not always the reflection of realities.