Unpacking Pro-coal Narratives in Thailand: The Case of Mae Moh Mine Museum

Abstract

Coal is still the king of energy sources in Southeast Asia. However, there are only a limited number of studies concerning the discursive aspect of strategic efforts by the region’s coal sector to maintain its status quo amid the climate crisis. This article aims to unpack exhibition narratives (texts, images, videos, and spatial arrangements) and examine which discourses are highlighted while others are seen to be irrelevant, and are thus hidden or excluded. The study uses the case of the Mae Moh Mine Museum, which is located in the Mae Moh Lignite Mine and Power Plant in Lampang province, northern Thailand. By employing spatial discourse analysis, this article demonstrates that there are three main pro-coal narratives that have been produced in order to craft a positive image of coal, and thus gaining legitimacy for controversial coal business practices in Thailand. The first main narrative is coal being part of the King’s legacy, the second concerns environmental management and clean coal technology, while the last is related to community development and prosperity. Following this, the article argues that the discursive power of the coal sector, which has been employed in making pro-coal discourses and narratives that are later displayed in the museum, has a significant impact not only on the carbon lock-in, but also on a patronage lock-in that results in the obstruction of the more fundamental social, political, and economic changes in Thai society.