The administrative (Chakri) reforms in Siam which took place around the turn of the twentieth cen... more The administrative (Chakri) reforms in Siam which took place around the turn of the twentieth century are probably one of the most studied topics in the history of Thailand. This period is usually described as the time when the royal elite worked to create a Siamese nation-state under the guidance of the absolute monarchy. This transformation encompassed both territorial integration and administrative centralization. Here we offer a new perspective on this transformative period through an analysis of changing documentary and spatial practices in Siam from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, which were one of the most crucial, intrinsic dynamics of state formation. The emphasis is on the mundane practices of documentation—among other spatial-material practices and processes—that produce the effect that the state exists. We show how this new paper regime articulated a standardization of written official documents, the birth of the file as a technology to deal with the...
This article explores Erik Seidenfaden's life and scholarly career in Thailand. Seidenfaden arriv... more This article explores Erik Seidenfaden's life and scholarly career in Thailand. Seidenfaden arrived in the country in 1906 to take up a position as officer in the provincial gendarmerie and resided there until he returned to Denmark in 1946. During his forty years' residence, Seidenfaden became an influential amateur scholar in the fields of ethnography and archaeology. He was an active member of the Siam Society, a prolific contributor to the JSS and, for a short period, the Society's president. The aim of this article is to present a broader assessment of Seidenfaden and his scholarly work. In doing so, we will present new knowledge on his life history and how he refashioned himself as an amateur scholar, and contributed to turning Siam into a knowable object.
The administrative (Chakri) reforms in Siam which took place around the turn of the twentieth cen... more The administrative (Chakri) reforms in Siam which took place around the turn of the twentieth century are probably one of the most studied topics in the history of Thailand. This period is usually described as the time when the royal elite worked to create a Siamese nation-state under the guidance of the absolute monarchy. This transformation encompassed both territorial integration and administrative centralization. Here we offer a new perspective on this transformative period through an analysis of changing documentary and spatial practices in Siam from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, which were one of the most crucial, intrinsic dynamics of state formation. The emphasis is on the mundane practices of documentation—among other spatial-material practices and processes—that produce the effect that the state exists. We show how this new paper regime articulated a standardization of written official documents, the birth of the file as a technology to deal with the...
This article explores Erik Seidenfaden's life and scholarly career in Thailand. Seidenfaden arriv... more This article explores Erik Seidenfaden's life and scholarly career in Thailand. Seidenfaden arrived in the country in 1906 to take up a position as officer in the provincial gendarmerie and resided there until he returned to Denmark in 1946. During his forty years' residence, Seidenfaden became an influential amateur scholar in the fields of ethnography and archaeology. He was an active member of the Siam Society, a prolific contributor to the JSS and, for a short period, the Society's president. The aim of this article is to present a broader assessment of Seidenfaden and his scholarly work. In doing so, we will present new knowledge on his life history and how he refashioned himself as an amateur scholar, and contributed to turning Siam into a knowable object.
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