The Territory of Believe in Bangkok Old Town: Conservative Nationalism that Installed to Culture

Abstract

Town planning was created for many purposes of the reigning. Bangkok old town itself has four layers of town planning overlapped in 2011. Each layer contains its own symbol of belief, relating to how “Thainess” is defined as loyalty to “Country–Religion–the King.” Yet, on a smaller scale, the town is full of ephemeral ornaments placed by people. The hypothesis is that these ornaments can reveal the success of the reigning authorities’ symbolism, while also showing overlooked beliefs that remain priceless to everyday users. This research focuses on ephemeral decorated spaces, collecting data from public places with high density of use, particularly markets in Bangkok old town inherited across generations. The study scopes these markets within town zoning, filled with permanent symbolic landscape elements. The aim is to examine the relationship between permanent symbolic ornaments and ephemeral ornaments, and the meaning of decoration to users. Methodology included documenting town activities in 2011–2012, categorizing types of decoration, clarifying the structure of “belief territory,” and interviewing people about values and cognition. The findings reveal that Bangkok’s permanent symbolic structures are tied to political policies of each era, forming a multicore philosophy mixing Nation–Religion–the King. Nationalist beliefs of “Thainess” dominate decorative areas, stemming from the drive for national unification. Folk beliefs, however, while occupying less physical space, hold greater long-term value for users. These decorations serve as tools for interacting with spirits and forces, adding an invisible but significant layer to the urban structure in users’ daily lives.