Thai Globalization through Postcolonial Lens

Abstract

Thailand’s passionate obsession with European signs of modernity is well documented. There are several questions I want to ask about this. Is there a consistency in the Thai quest for civilization and modernity in the past with contemporary forms and patterns of marketing and consumption? More specifically, is the current popularity of skin whitening lotions and cosmetic surgery among Thai women a symptom of something deeper, revealing a colonial economy of desire? How have scholars in Thai studies responded to these challenges? This article is situated within the field of cultural and postcolonial studies. It investigates the above issues in terms of what Foucault calls social technologies of the self. To that extent, it analyzes the power/knowledge nexus in production, circulation and consumption of gendered and racialized identities in the everyday discourse and practices of advertising in Thailand.

Keywords: postcolonialism, globalization, racism, skin whitening, advertising, Reynolds, Thailand