History of Political Theory of Jean Jacques Rousseau in Thai Political Context (1932-2012)

Abstract

This study aims to survey and to understand the application of Jean Jacque Rousseau's political theory into the context of Thailand from 1932 to 2013. The study was conducted using the History of Political Thought Approach. The presentation in this article follows a sequence of time beginning from 1932 when Rousseau's idea was firstly introduced in Thailand during a transition of Siam (an old name for Thailand) from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. From 1947 to approximately mid-1973, however, Rousseau's Political thought was prohibited in the country simply because the military dictators were not in a favor any liberal idea. From 1973 to 1979, political theory of Rousseau had been temporary revived before fading away once again after 1979. During the forbidden period, Rousseau's ideas were still appeared in several political textbooks. However, in the present time especially after the coup d'etat on 19 October 2006, political theory of Rousseau has been spread to several corners of the country once again as a tool to mobilize political participation.