About Staff

My research has been focused on the historical study of Siam (Thailand) in the Early Bangkok period. I have conducted extensive archival research concerning the various aspects of pre-modern Siamese society and state administration and their transformation from the late 19th century. Based upon insights obtained through reading those primary source materials, I have also tried to pursue a critical reexamination of modern Thai historiography, raising questions about existing history writing and representation in both official and popular historical discourses that are mostly framed by a modern nation-state cum royalist framework. In this relation, I regard the question of gender as an important field of history that has been marginalized in the major masculinist discourse of Thai history. Another field of importance that needs critical reappraisal is the historical place in Siam of China factors, which have hitherto been confined within the assimilation perspective. Through such historical explorations, I hope to broaden the possibilities of history writing and propose the significance of a long-term historical perspective for understanding present-day situations in the post-Cold War era.