Journal of Social Sciences Naresuan University

ฺBook Review: Chaos in the Heavens: The Forgotten History of Climate Change

Watcharapol Supajakwattana — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Editorial Note

Chaipong Samnieng — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

None

Revisiting the Gwangju Incident and the Dynamics of Democracy in South Korea

Nithi Nuangjamnong — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article reassesses the existing studies on the relationship between the 1980 Gwangju Incident and democracy in South Korea. It is publicly assumed that the Gwangju Incident was important to South Korea’s transition to democracy in 1987. However, there are only a few works studying the connection between the Gwangju Incident and the dynamics of democracy in South Korea, which cover both the democratic transition in 1987 and democratic consolidation after 1987 until now. By employing the ‘transformative event’ concept, this article demonstrates the effect of the Gwangju Incident on democratization in South Korea in two aspects. First, the Gwangju Incident has imprinted the ‘original sin’ in the mind of the army, which in turn limits the choice of using force to oppress democratic movements. This first dimension is an enabling factor in the success of the democratic movement in 1987. Second, it creates a ‘generational memory’ and ‘moral obligation’ to address past injustices. Hence, the public has converted this grievance into incessant political movements calling for the establishment of ‘transitional justice’. This second aspect is instrumental in the consolidation of democracy.

North Korea after the 1990s: The (un)Developmental State?

Seksan Anantasirikiat — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

North Korea has been in a stagnation since the 1990s. To explain this phenomenon, various scholarships apply mixed methods, including historical approach (cause-effect linkages), external conditions especially North Korea and foreign relations with its neighboring countries, and comparative analysis with other successful socialist countries. This article examines North Korea’s development post 1990s through the lens of Nem Singh & Ovadia’s “developmental state” (2018) The core argument is North Korea after the 1990s is a failed developmental state. Although North Korea has continuity and positive factors for economic development from sources of growth, industrial policy especially flagship defense industry, poverty reduction record, and political base of development, there are some limitations in state capacity that the leader and state apparatus could not create better conditions for economic development, and external environment that North Korea encounters from the sanctions by the United Nations and United States of America.

The Thai Royalists’ Uses of Narratives in Their Defenses of a Politico-Moral Order

Anusorn Unno — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article aims to examine the ways in which Thai royalists employed narratives in their defense of a politico-moral order against threats over the past two decades. It employed qualitative research methods primarily including in-depth interviews and document analysis, examining how Thai royalists constructed and told the narratives, what themes and plots of these narratives are, and the extent to which these narratives are convincing and able to defend the politico-moral order where righteousness is the main source of power. The article found that, considering themes and plots, Thai royalists constructed three narratives, including a righteous king under threats of a corrupt and disloyal politician, a sacred war between good and bad people, and informed adults instructing indoctrinated children. Drawing on religious concepts especially the Buddhist ones in their narrativization, the royalists achieved to defend the politico-moral order as their narratives were cited by the coups that ousted politicians considered a threat. Despite convincing at the initial stage, their narratives however became less convincing and thus less able to defend the politico-moral order, given changing socio-political circumstances and the discrepancy between them and the reality. The article argues that Thai royalists need to construct a new narrative or inevitably adopt a new politico-moral order so as to survive these challenges.

Photovoice: A Practical Journey from Theory to Practice

Piyarat Panlee — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Photovoice is a key visual research method that plays a crucial role in participatory action research (PAR) and community-based research by empowering participants to document their lived experiences and highlight social issues through photography. This approach not only amplifies the voices of marginalized groups but also fosters a sense of ownership in the research process, ultimately driving policy change in a tangible way. This article examinesaddressing ethical considerations and challenges in visual data analysis, which require a systematic approach and collaboration with participants. Additionally, it highlights the future potential of photovoice, particularly in integrating digital technology to expand its applicability across diverse social and cultural contexts. However, implementating photovoice must also account for limitations related to resources, cultural contexts, technological accessibility, and the need for more precise and reliable data analysis frameworks. Therefore, further research on the real-world application of photovoice will help enhance its effectiveness in responding to community needs and reinforce its role as a vital tool for driving sustainable social change.

Value: The Object of Consumption and the Exchange of Sign(ifier)s

Yotsakorn Semakoon — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article investigates the concept of value in the “object of consumption” through the theoretical perspective of Jean Baudrillard, whose work reconfigures the role of objects in contemporary capitalist economies. Through a primary textual analysis of Baudrillard’s works, this study reveals that 1) the notion of value is more complex than Marxist political economy suggests, particularly in relation to “sign exchange value,” which emerges through hierarchical differentiation and is sustained as a normative logic underpinning contemporary regimes of consumption; and 2) the translation and reception of the concepts of value in Thai academic discourse—particularly in the social sciences and humanities—exhibits a lack of precision, distorting the political stakes of Baudrillard’s argument. This terminological and theoretical imprecision obscures the distinction between the economic and cultural spheres, necessitating systematic differentiation—even at the level of linguistic precision—to enable a more rigorous analysis of their interplay. By foregrounding the shifting and unstable nature of value in objects of consumption, this study invites a resurgence of “ambivalence,” a concept Baudrillard employs as both a subversive critique of capitalist power and a framework for rethinking the entanglement of production, objects, and subjectivity in late capitalism.

Trials by Water and Fire: Theatre State and Competitions in the Seventeenth-Century Ayutthaya Kingdom

Charn Panarut — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Previous studies on trial by ordeal in the Ayutthayan context portray the overall judicial process in cases of lacking proof; nonetheless, their analyses, not based on primary historical sources, tend to generalize that the divinity invited during trials effectively brings justice that the state expected. This research argues that several participants actively negotiated to determine trial results to serve their own interests. To assess credibility of sources in order to soundly understand perspectives of those who participated in trial by ordeal, pieces of evidence, written during the seventeenth century and other eras, are crosschecked. Travel writings, first-hand accounts, laws, and poems are crucial for selecting and integrating a theoretical framework. The concept of the theatre state (Geertz, 1980) helps understand power negotiations between participants who used trial by ordeal to eradicate political opponents and to integrate individuals of various strata into the state hierarchy of King Prasat Thong who was from a noble background. The concepts of the rite of passage and sport, proposed by Turner (1982) and Elias and Dunning (1986), are fruitful for illuminating how socio-economic and magical powers of defendants and complainants were temporarily withdrawn, so that they could fairly compete in ordeals. Thus, they could be purified and punished justly by gods. A consequence of the ordeal was the result of participants’ negotiations. Participants’ excitement and malevolence might be exploded, cleared up, or formed. The status of being guilty would lead to the collapse of a kinship or patron-client group, a punishment by law, a fear of being in hell, and a fright at future incarnation. It is necessary to consider each specific context in which each participant used the trial by ordeal as the state theatre for changing his and others’ statuses and utilized his physical skills to deal with water and fire in order to get his desirable trial result.

The Evolution of the Vicious Cycle in Thai Politics: From 1932 to the Period of General Prayut Chandra-ocha

Dhiwakorn Kaewmanee — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This research focuses on the repetitive occurrences of coup d’etat as a driving force in Thailand’s political development, which might be seen as a vicious cycle. The research’s main question is whether the vicious cycle model is just a theoretical concept or an empirical political phenomenon. The research also answers if the vicious cycle is still apparent throughout the changes in contemporary Thai politics? This study has been conducted with the combination of document research and qualitative research of participant and non-participant observations. Study results show that coup is still considered as an integrated event in the unique political development of the Thai state, which appears to happen in cycles. The cycle can be described with an order of events that follows this basic flow: starting with conflict, political crises, coups, and military rule; followed by drafting a constitution to restore power to the people; holding elections and installing new government, that again are likely to experience new conflict, crisis, and coups. The research concludes that the political changes in the Thai state since 1932 have been followed according to this model, with the coup at the heart of the vicious cycle. While the cycle slowed and even paused for around fifteen years during the semi-democratic period arising in the 1980s. However, the latest coup led by General Prayut has once again confirmed that the coup remains at the heart of changes in the Thai state and the driving force of the system, which evidently leads to the result of the vicious cycle being an empirical phenomenon in the Thai state.

The Development of Adolescent’s Inner Strength through Integrative Group Counseling Model

Sangdao Wattanaskulkiat, Nattaporn Nattaporn , Suradate Prayoonsak — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This study aims to investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of the integrative group counselling model in developing university students’ inner strength. Twenty undergraduate students from Naresuan University aged 19-25 years old who completed the inner strength questionnaire participated in the study. The students were assigned to either control or experimental groups using the simple random sampling method (10 students in each group). This study was divided into three phases which were pre- and post-experimental phases, and the follow-up phase. The research instruments were 1) an inner strength scale and 2) the integrative group counselling model for loneliness. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The difference in the inner strength between the experimental and control groups was compared using Paired Samples T-test while T–test independent was used to analyze the difference between the before, after and follow-up phases. The study indicated that students in the experimental group had better inner strength scores in the post and follow-up phases than the pre-experimental phases at a .05 statistically significant level, while the inner strength score in the control group showed no statistically significant difference in three phases.

Networks of New Actors in Knowledge Space of Education and Educational Psychology in Modern Thai Society

Pisith Nasee, Nongyao Nawarat, Omsin Jatuporn, Wasan Sapphasuk — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article explores the formation and practices of new actors in knowledge space of education in Thailand through four case studies: Thai Civic Education (TCE), Kor Karn Kru, insKru, and Kru Kor Sorn. The study focuses on how these groups generate alternative educational knowledge, reconstruct the identity of teachers, and create participatory learning spaces grounded in critical thinking and lived experiences of both teachers and learners. Using qualitative research methods-including document analysis, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. This research investigates the relationships among educational structures, learning processes, and the grassroots movements that challenge existing systems. By applying Melucci’s concept of New Social Movements (NSM), the study finds that these groups do not only seek educational reform but also function as cultural movements with distinctive characteristics. These include the processual construction of collective identity, horizontal network structures, the use of digital technology and everyday life as platforms for action, and the co-production of knowledge that questions dominant institutional power. The article argues that both the state and Thai society should recognize the importance of building a participatory knowledge ecology that opens space for civic-based actors and new networks to engage meaningfully in shaping the future of education. Such an approach is vital for advancing educational reform rooted in culture, lived experience, and democratic values.

“Kut” as an Infrastructure in Relation to Other Entities in The Wetland area of Sisaket Province

Pirapol Weangkham, Kanokwan Manorom — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This article examines “Kut Phromkhat” as a form of infrastructure that plays a crucial role in both the ecosystem and the social structure of communities in the wetland areas of the Mun River Basin, specifically in Bua Noi Subdistrict, Kanthararom District, Sisaket Province. The study employs the concepts of infrastructure and human ecology as analytical frameworks. The findings reveal that “Kut Phromkhat” is not merely a natural water source but also an infrastructural nexus that interconnects the environment, technology, and human society across economic, cultural, and political dimensions. In particular, large-scale infrastructure projects such as weirs and the Hua Na Dam have significantly impacted the wetland’s ecosystem and compelled communities to adapt their resource utilization for survival. This study adopts qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews, participant observation, and document review. The findings highlight that infrastructure is not merely a physical construct but also a state instrument for resource management. Moreover, as an infrastructure, the “Kut” is not simply a natural entity or ecological system but a space that reflects the interplay between material objects and human interactions, encompassing economic

American Orientalism in Korean Vietnam War Novels: A Case Study of The Shadow of Arms and The Faraway Ssongba River

Siwat Surakitbovorn — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This research article aims to explore and understand the origins of American Orientalism, which began to take shape from the Korean War to the Vietnam War. Although in the 1960s, Orientalism was a concept rooted in European colonialism, South Korean scholars acknowledged that South Korean society in the Post-Korean War era was significantly influenced and shaped by American imperialist ideology. This led to the transmission and reproduction of Western ideals within South Korean society, embedding Orientalist perspectives into various art forms, including print media, textbooks, television shows, and films. The novel The Faraway Ssongba River by Park Young-han interprets American Orientalism as the United States use of financial power through the U.S. dollar to fully intervene in and control the economic systems of Vietnam. Meanwhile, The Shadow of Arms by Hwang Seok-young presents representations of racism and sexism, and portrays Asian individuals perceived as inferior in comparison with South Koreans. Analyzing American Orientalism through these two literary works reveals how this ideology was instilled and reproduced through the worldviews of authors who returned from the battlefield of the Vietnam War. Although both authors used their literary works to critique American imperialist power and viewed the United States as intervening in Asian countries through both hard and soft power, they could not transcend the dominant aspiration prevalent in South Korean society at that time—specifically, the strong desire for transformation toward American-style modernity.

The Use of Korean Language Reflecting the Concepts of War Metaphors in Economic News

Kannaphatt Thongtanangkula — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

This research studies the concept of war in Korean economic news. Data was collected from the Naver website, a popular search engine platform among Koreans, and data was analyzed from texts and language forms that are war metaphors used by Korean online media to report economic news based on cognitive linguistics theory and conceptual metaphor analysis. The results of the analysis of the metaphor “economy is war” reveals that the characteristics of language forms in Korean economic news reflected ten other concepts that are components of war, namely 1. economic era is era of war 2. economic goal is war target 3. scale of economic competition is scale of war 4. duration of economic competition is duration of war 5. economic allies and partners are allies and enemies in war 6. economic strategy is war tactics 7. economic conditions are war situations 8. economic tools are war weapons 9. economic competition grounds are war locations and 10. economic outcomes are outcomes of war. The analysis of conceptual metaphors found that the concept “economic policy is a war strategy” is the most used, followed by “economic tools are war weapons” and “economic goals are war goals”, respectively. These concepts reflect the Korean people’s idea of how to win a war, and the economy emphasizes effective tactical planning and strategy execution, and the selection of appropriate combat and defense methods for the situation. In addition, importance is given to the quality and readiness of weapons and equipment in order to achieve war and economic goals.

Socio-Cultural Meanings and Practices of Modernity Consumption of Ramyeon (Korean Instant Noodles) among Thai Youths

Wichuda Changphao , Busarin Lertchavalitsakul — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0700

Conceptually framed by modernity and practices of consumption, this article examines the socio-cultural meanings attributed to ramyeon (Korean instant noodles) by Thai youths and their practices of modernity consumption. It uses a qualitative research methodology comprising observations on social media platforms, and in-depth interviews with eleven individuals categorized into three groups: ramyeon social media content creators, online ramyeon sellers, and ramyeon consumers. The findings reveal that Thai youths associate three key socio-cultural meanings with ramyeon: it symbolizes Korean culture, offers a unique and exotic taste, and reflects a modern eating style that resonates with teenage consumers. The article argues that the popularity of ramyeon, fueled by social media, has fostered new consumption practices. These practices not only involve self-presentation but also content creation and product selling by both sellers and content creators as a means of communication with consumers. Ultimately, ramyeon has continually acted as a form of soft power of Korean culture.