“World History” According to the Perception and Learning in Thailand: A Brief Historical Narrative

Abstract

The traditional background of the Thai concepts of the world and its history was based on religious beliefs and their inherent narratives.  By the time Siamese elites acquired western knowledge of the world and of history, they began the Thai writing on “universal history” following the narratives of western civilization. The contents of world history within western liberal concepts dominated Thai higher education during the Cold War, particularly, that of American influence on fighting Communism. Perception, learning, and understanding of the civilization narratives were the one-way truth, being disseminated down to secondary and primary schools, together with the instruction of patriotic rhetoric through “royal” nationalism. Later on, while Thai society was being brought into the current of globalization under the influence of world capitalism, the development toward plurality in contents and methods of historical studies occurred very gradually. Contexts, such as the impact of information technology, activated by threats beyond a national control, might be a condition, in another step, to change the meaning and significance of “world history” for the Thai thinking platform.