Ambiguity and Vagueness of the Positionality of the Word “Isan” Since the B.E. 2440s to the Present

Abstract

This article employed a synthesis of historical documents to investigate the meaning and dynamics of the word “Isan” as a word that influenced the placement of all beings in the area called Isan, including language, history, arts, literature and cultural traditions. The results revealed that the word “Isan” was a term that originated from the policies and political roles of the Siamese ruling class in Isan since the early 1880s, which was imbued with the ideology later called Thainess. In fact, the term Isan was formed to define the Korat Plateau as a political unit dependent on the Siamese state in Bangkok and was not designed to describe all that existed in the so-called Isan area. Coupled with the fact that this term was often described as it was in relation to Laotian civilization, the term Isan was, therefore, ambiguous, vague, contradictory, and inappropriate for describing everything that exists in Isan.