Narrating the West: King Chulalongkorn’s Klaibaan as Literary Counter-Discourse

บทคัดย่อ

This study examines Klaibaan: The Writings of King Chulalongkorn as a counter-discursive literary text that questions Western ethnographic representations of the East during the colonialist era. Concentrating on narrative procedures that subvert the traditional colonial gaze, it examines how the text defers Siam’s status from an object of stative viewing to a venue for dynamic interpretation and interrogation. Applying qualitative textual analysis based on post-colonial theory, notably Orientalism and counter-discourse, the study uncovers that Klaibaan constitutes an intellectual critique of Western morality and social deficiencies as well as a reaffirmation of Siam’s intellectual independence. The text also represents a critical point in the development of Thai literary prose as it shifted from traditional modes of poetic expression to Western forms defined by cultural mediation. This article suggests that Klaibaan serves as an interesting instance of a historical document and work of literature which reflexively unsettles discursive centers, bringing forward Siam in the global currents of vernacular literary conversation.