What Made Nationalism in Thailand Different from that in Most other Southeast Asian Countries - Assignment Example

Nationalism in Thailand By Student’s name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date The introduction to Southeast Asian culture The culture of Southeast Asia is one of the most complicated cultures since it comprises many ethnicities and modified subcultures. One factor that makes the culture of Southeast Asia more complicated than other Asian cultures is the colonization by various European powers. These European colonialists had an enormous impact on the ways of life embraced by the people of the region prior to the coming of the foreigners (Winichakul 2008). The coming of the Europeans to Southeast Asia ways associated with cultural dilution and what has come to be termed as economical rape. Arguably, the principal reason why the European powers ventured into Southeast Asia is because of the lucrative trade that was thriving in the region. The trade that mainly involved the exchange of salt and other minerals was the biggest and most significant lure that got the foreigners streaming into the region. Along with the colonialists and traders, came the missionaries. The missionaries, who were mainly from Portugal, came with the hope of spreading Christianity in the region that was mainly observing the doctrines of Islam and Buddhism. This paper seeks to explain the difference in the way the nationalist movement took root in Thailand and the way in which the neighboring nations realized the need for self determination. The major countries in South East Asia are southern china, Burma, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand. The cultural practices of the people in the region are diverse. The diversity is brought about by such factors as the effects of the coming and settling of the Europeans and other western forces especially the United States (Buch-Hansen, M. 2003). The culture of the aboriginal people of the region dates back to twenty millennia ago. On the other hand, the contemporary culture of Southeast Asia is less than a century old. This is because currently, most Southeast Asia countries practice the ways of their colonial masters. The best illustration is Philippines. Philippines is currently the third English-speaking nation globally. This can be attributed to the long colonial rule under the Americans. The education system of the region is almost purely American. Even so there are traces of the British system of education. The people of Philippines embrace western ways of religion. Since the settling of the Spanish people in the country lasted considerably long, most natives embraced the catholic faith, and today more than seventy five percent of the citizens of the region are catholic faithful (Joan 2007). Although indigenous religions persisted, the new culture diluted them. In other neighboring countries such as china, Buddhism is still observed. Islam is considerably widespread in the area and so is Hinduism. Fundamentally, the Europeans arrived in Southeast Asia in the 16th century. However, it is worth noting that their impact was not felt until the 17th century. The changes that took place between the 17th century and the 20th century were quite significant and touched on all aspects of the culture, ranging from religion to gender issues (Winichakul 2008). What remained considerably stable to date are the economic activities of the people. Since time immemorial the Southeast Asians were traders and creative artists. Creative art was majorly practiced in china and Indonesia. The Chinese ceramic art was a big source of income in the region. Trade involving the exchange of salts and other metals was as well a lucrative venture. To date, Southeast Asia, like all other parts of Asia depends on trade as the main economic activity. For instance, the Chinese economy relies almost fully on trade and technology. Factors that made Nationalism in Thailand Different from That in Most Other Southeast Asian Countries Nationalism is described as the optimistic ideas that the citizens of a state hold when they express concern for their nation (Joan 2007). This definition is concerned with national pride, love for one’s country and the willingness of the individual to do anything within their capacity to achieve their vision for the country. The second definition describes it as the deliberate efforts by organized groups of like-minded people in pursuing self determination and liberation of a nation. The nationalist movement in most countries of southeastern Asia was characterized by many difficulties with some experiencing serious backfiring following internal inefficiencies and lack of unit and sufficient resources. On the contrary, the nationalist movement in Thailand was different in many ways. One of the factors that made the nationalism in Thailand look different from the nationalism movements of its neighbors is the fact that, the urge for self determination in Thailand had its roots in the internal struggles for unity and proper governance (Mika & Biao 2012). On the contrary, the nationalist movements in the neighboring nations were motivated by the urge to gain independence from the European and American powers. It is clear that the reasons behind the movements were different in Thailand and its neighbors. The Thailand nationalism was meant to better the conditions within and to correct the inefficiencies of the leaders and other political authorities. Colonialism played a big role in triggering the need to have nationalist activities in the countries neighboring Thailand. This is to say that the nationalist movements in Thailand’s neighbors were as a reaction to the pressures and inefficiencies of the colonial rule (Philip & Nooch 2007). The colonial rule was brutal and oppressive. The foreigners had taken over the resources and the trade in the region. This caused the natives, who had turned out to be the workforce in European companies, to plan serious rebellions. The natives were working under poor conditions in their own land. Nationalists such as Jose Rizal were the forces that sensitized the people on the need for self determination. They emphasized the importance of independence and enlightened people on the evils of the colonial masters through literature and political publications. While the colonial pressure motivated the nationalist movements in such countries as Philippines, effective leadership was the force behind Thailand’s nationalism. Another factor that made the Thailand nationalist movement outstanding is the fact that the people of Thailand had never been colonized by the Europeans (Winichakul 2008). This left their culture undisturbed for quite a long time. Their cultural values remained intact. This meant that they took pride in their long standing cultural history. The people of Thailand had similar desires with regard to political leadership. This can be attributed to the fact that the people observed the same way of life and had similar expectations. They were not divided along religious lines or such things as differing sub-cultures. They fought with a spirit of unity and pushed for better reforms and stable governance. The fact that they were not colonized left their ways of life stable and un-interfered with. Worth noting is the factor of rich heritage in Thailand. The heritage of the people, according to archeological evidence dates back to the twelfth century. The people take pride in their national heritage and are always ready to protect it. It was the sensitization by their leaders that made the people realize that poor leadership could waste their heritage and culture in which they took pride (Buch-Hansen 2003). As such the Tai, the people of Thailand, rose to the occasion and stayed on the alert. They realized the role of effective and efficient leadership in the protection of the centuries old of heritage. Such leaders as King Rama VI played a key role in enlightening the people on the need for a national spirit in upholding and protecting the culture that had been observed since the 12th century. The sensitization took the form of publications and revolutionist speeches. Unlike her neighbors, Thailand’s nationalism was powered by the need for self preservation. As early as the 18th century, the concept of national interest had become popular in Thailand (Mika & Biao 2012). All the leaders that rose to power were expected tom ethically embrace and prioritize public interest. All decisions made were evaluated and checked for any possibility of contravening the wider interest of the people. It is through this undying spirit of oneness that pushed the people of Thailand to work as a team towards liberalization, nationalism and self determination. The people of Thailand engaged in and supported the nationalist movement as a way of protecting the interest of the average citizen. Unlike the neighbors whose culture had been eroded, the culture of the people of Thailand had their religion intact. The religious beliefs of the people played a big role in the nationalist movement. The role of religion was uniting people. The people resisted foreign influence as they did not want to embrace foreign ideas of religion (Buch-Hansen 2003). The religion of the natives held them together in the nationalist activities. King Rama believed that the liberation of people did not involve just the physical togetherness of the people but the inner thinking. He insisted that the people had to have similar spiritual ideas in order to work together in a bid to achieve self-preservation across the country. The ideas of the king motivated the people. It is however worth noting that not all the people bought the ideas of King Rama VI. The major reason why some people rejected his ideas is because he had new ideas that the people were not used to. His ideas appeared like a whole new culture but were considerably appealing to the average citizen. The contributions of king Rama made nationalism in Thailand appear different than the movements in the neighboring countries. King Rama VI is one of the most renowned nationalist leaders from Thailand. According to many reputable historians, talking of change in Thailand, mentioning King Rama VI is inevitable (Dixon 2004). The revolutionary ideas held by the leader were different from those that his father held. Unlike his father, King Rama had the belief that uniting people was one of the most important aspects of achieving prosperity. At the same time, King Rama realized that getting people with diverse ideas on nationalism to buy the same idea was not an easy task. It was for this reason that human beings cannot be effectively liberated through just physical unity and outlook. He believed that for there to be proper unity, the people had to be spiritually and mentally united. By mental and spiritual unity, King Rama meant that the people had to believe in a common philosophy while working towards the same goal. The king embraced the idea of goal congruence (Dixon 2004). This entailed the whole population working nation had to meet goals as one. Most historians have argued that unlike Thailand, most of the southeastern Asian countries had nationalist movements that had heterogeneous aims. The nationalist movements were made up of individuals that had different ideas. As much they were fighting for liberalization and self determination, the only thing they had in common was the idea of being independent. The visions they had for their countries were very different. For instance, most of the countries had both capitalist thinkers and socialist proponents in the nationalism movement. This was later to bring problems in the post colonial governments. On the contrary, King Rama believed that prior to pursuing any major goal, there had to be mental and unity. These would play a very important psychological role in modifying the goals and targets of the people. The Thailand nationalism movements were characterized by heavy use of literature. Such literature as the political sensitization pamphlets that were done by King Rama VI and other revolutionist leaders played a principal part in bringing people together and bringing their ideas together (Winichakul 2008). Even though the pamphlets were associated with propaganda, they were effective creating the curiosity in the people of Thailand. The written works of King Rama VI that were the driving force during the nationalism of Thailand are still recorded today. His words are the same ones seen in various philosophies and visions of many government departments. The name of King Rama is synonymous to change in the political circles of the republic of Thailand. The contributions of King Rama VI in Nationalism in Thailand received considerable resistance and for this reason, he had to apply force at some points (Dixon 2004). The King, after the military personnel had indicated signs of dissatisfaction, took a vow to the people of Thailand that he would remain in control and that he would use the military force to have the nation under control. The king used both diplomacy and force. This is why the historians have concluded that there is no nationalism movement that does not come at a cost whether it is internally motivated or externally pressured. In his use of force and diplomacy, the king emphasized the need for everyone to rise up and protect the wealthy cultural heritage. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the differences between nationalism in Thailand and the nationalist movement in other neighboring nations are quite significant. For instance, the principal differences include the facts that: while the nationalism in neighboring nations was a reaction to colonial injustices, the nationalism in Thailand originated out of international struggle for better governance. Similarly, while the nationalism in the neighboring countries was aimed at self determination, the nationalism in Thailand was aimed at protection of national heritage that was rich and centuries old. It is however noteworthy that the differences can be attributed to effective leaders in Thailand, the fact that Thailand was not colonized by the Europeans, and the fact that Thailand had a wealthy heritage to protect. Reference list Buch-Hansen, M. 2003. The territorialisation of rural Thailand: between localism, nationalism and globalism. Journal of Economic & Social Geography. 94 (3), p322-334 Dixon, C. 2004. Post-Crisis Restructuring: Foreign Ownership, Corporate Resistance and Economic Nationalism in Thailand. Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International & Strategic Affairs. 26 (1), p45-72 Joan W, 2007, Historical Dictionary of Thailand (2nd edition), Reference Reviews, 21(5), pp.61 - 61 Mika T & Biao X. 2012. The emerging transitional "retirement industry" in Southeast Asia. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. 32 (11) pp. 708 - 719 Philip C & Nooch K. 2007. Accounting for the nation-state in mid nineteenth-century Thailand. Accountability Journal. 20(4) pp. 574 - 619 Winichakul, T. 2008. Nationalism and the Radical Intelligentsia in Thailand. Third World Quarterly. 29 (3), p575-591. Read More

Although indigenous religions persisted, the new culture diluted them. In other neighboring countries such as china, Buddhism is still observed. Islam is considerably widespread in the area and so is Hinduism. Fundamentally, the Europeans arrived in Southeast Asia in the 16th century. However, it is worth noting that their impact was not felt until the 17th century. The changes that took place between the 17th century and the 20th century were quite significant and touched on all aspects of the culture, ranging from religion to gender issues (Winichakul 2008).

What remained considerably stable to date are the economic activities of the people. Since time immemorial the Southeast Asians were traders and creative artists. Creative art was majorly practiced in china and Indonesia. The Chinese ceramic art was a big source of income in the region. Trade involving the exchange of salts and other metals was as well a lucrative venture. To date, Southeast Asia, like all other parts of Asia depends on trade as the main economic activity. For instance, the Chinese economy relies almost fully on trade and technology.

Factors that made Nationalism in Thailand Different from That in Most Other Southeast Asian Countries Nationalism is described as the optimistic ideas that the citizens of a state hold when they express concern for their nation (Joan 2007). This definition is concerned with national pride, love for one’s country and the willingness of the individual to do anything within their capacity to achieve their vision for the country. The second definition describes it as the deliberate efforts by organized groups of like-minded people in pursuing self determination and liberation of a nation.

The nationalist movement in most countries of southeastern Asia was characterized by many difficulties with some experiencing serious backfiring following internal inefficiencies and lack of unit and sufficient resources. On the contrary, the nationalist movement in Thailand was different in many ways. One of the factors that made the nationalism in Thailand look different from the nationalism movements of its neighbors is the fact that, the urge for self determination in Thailand had its roots in the internal struggles for unity and proper governance (Mika & Biao 2012).

On the contrary, the nationalist movements in the neighboring nations were motivated by the urge to gain independence from the European and American powers. It is clear that the reasons behind the movements were different in Thailand and its neighbors. The Thailand nationalism was meant to better the conditions within and to correct the inefficiencies of the leaders and other political authorities. Colonialism played a big role in triggering the need to have nationalist activities in the countries neighboring Thailand.

This is to say that the nationalist movements in Thailand’s neighbors were as a reaction to the pressures and inefficiencies of the colonial rule (Philip & Nooch 2007). The colonial rule was brutal and oppressive. The foreigners had taken over the resources and the trade in the region. This caused the natives, who had turned out to be the workforce in European companies, to plan serious rebellions. The natives were working under poor conditions in their own land. Nationalists such as Jose Rizal were the forces that sensitized the people on the need for self determination.

They emphasized the importance of independence and enlightened people on the evils of the colonial masters through literature and political publications. While the colonial pressure motivated the nationalist movements in such countries as Philippines, effective leadership was the force behind Thailand’s nationalism. Another factor that made the Thailand nationalist movement outstanding is the fact that the people of Thailand had never been colonized by the Europeans (Winichakul 2008). This left their culture undisturbed for quite a long time.

Their cultural values remained intact. This meant that they took pride in their long standing cultural history.

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