Reconstruction of social ideology through the power of music: Case study of Suntaraporn band, Thailand

• Main Authors: Kammales Photikanit, Patcharin Sirasoonthorn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2018-05-01
• Series: Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452315118301620

During 1939–1942 (2482–2485 BE), Thailand was governed by a junta led by Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram. Numerous traditional cultures were redefined based on the “Thai-ness” policy. Suntaraporn was the most outstanding band sponsored by the Thai government. On one hand, the band was used as a State apparatus for instilling the “Thai-ness” ideology. On the other hand, it created development discourses of civilization, modernity, and cultural discrimination. This article: 1) investigated the discourse of Suntaraporn's music and the establishment of social stratification in Thai society, and 2) illustrated the cultural power of music as a social-ideological mechanism to increase State power over the Thai people.Documentary research was applied to identify the historical development, forms, and values appreciated in Suntaraporn's music. Social exclusion leading to a new form of social stratification was investigated. The author adopted semiotic analysis by focusing on the aesthetic level. To identify perception, cognition, interpretation, and reception history, the socio-cultural roles of Suntaraporn's music were highlighted as: 1) the establishment of modern Thai music as a symbol of new class differentiation, and 2) the role of music as a social mechanism to increase State power over the life of commoners. Keywords: social ideology, Suntaraporn's music, “Thai-ness” policy