A Grieving Nation: Exploring Thainess in the Space of Emotion

Abstract: The passing of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016 marked a significant turning point in modern Thai history. As the world’s longest-reigning monarch, King Bhumibol had been much loved and revered as the country’s father figure for 70 years. In the wake of his demise, it seemed to be that every corner of Thailand was packed with emotions that also came with an array of cultural implications for what it means to be Thai. Through an ethnographic study of the unique emotional phenomenon, this thesis aims to explore how grief in Thailand’s post-King Bhumibol era manifested in terms of spatiality, as well as and how it was culturally constructed. Ultimately, this thesis argues that how the nationwide mourning was practiced had engendered a space for mourners to perform Thainess–an umbrella term for good citizenship and Thai national identity. Apart from a cultural analysis, this thesis shall contribute to the interdisciplinary fields of ethnography, political science, Southeast Asian studies, and Thai studies, as it navigates the uncharted territory of understanding Thainess and the monarchy by taking into account the people’s perspective.