The West and Siam's Quest for Modernity

Abstract

This paper examines the interactions that occurred between Westerners and the Siamese elite in the nineteenth century. The author contends that the perceived superiority of Western science and knowledge came not as a result of its being Western as such, but rather as a consequence of the Siamese elite's secure political position in terms of its physical and intellectual powers. The adoption of Western knowledge was measured against the truth of Theravada Buddhism and Buddhist political ideas. Western knowledge and science thus provided the ruling classes with a modern perception of themselves and the world. Nevertheless, the persistence of Siamese sakdina [feudal] social relations ultimately prevented complete modernization. Modernity therefore ended up in the hands of the elite and did not extend to the wider populace.