Contested Modernity and Spectres of Progress in Twentieth Century Siam/Thailand

“Clearly, there are many possible solutions to the question of how one under-stands the predicament of the Thai modern”, argues Dipesh Chakrabarty in his consideration of the “Names and repetitions of postcolonial history” in relation to semi-colonial Siam.3 In this chapter we explore some of the multiplicities and ambiguities of modernity that pertain to Thailand at key historical and po-litical junctures of the twentieth century. We do so with reference to a series of cultural texts, from literary translations and adaptations to political pamphlets and photographic portraits of both monarchs and commoners, tracing the tra-jectories of modernity, and its association with questions of space and social class. The chapter subsequently moves to an analysis of Seni Saowaphong’s novel Pisat (The spectre), set largely in post-World War Two Bangkok.