ピブーン政権期(1938-44年)における服装政策 (特集 地域研究の前線)

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study Thai nationalism through the dress-change policy during the Phibul administration. The paper focuses on the questions of what policies were adopted by the administration. Examining women's dress changes during this period, Suwadi ［1993］ and Kano ［1994］ describe how Phibul asked—sometimes even forced—Thai people to dress in Western style. This study found that what was changed was not only the style of dress, but also the underlying concept of wearing Western clothes, in which time, place, and occasion were taken into account. Moreover, the Phibul administration employed its dress-change policy as a means of political maneuvering. This was refl ected in at least three historical incidents. Following Thailand's success in repealing extraterritorial rights in 1939, the administration changed the way Thai people dress in order to project the image that Thailand was a civilized nation. Recognizing the opportunity to conquer Indochina, then weakened by the aftermath of World War II, the administration urgently put the plan into practice by presenting to the people of Indochina a Thai civilization that was on a par with that of the Europeans. Lastly, during the Japanese invasion, the administration took legal action to force Thai citizens to dress in Western style as a means to express its resistance against Japanese culture.