Aesthetic of Power: A Critical Study on the Politics of Representations at Wat Benchama Bophit and Wat Phra Sri Mahathat, Bangkhen

Abstract

Despite the decline of theocratic regimes in the modern age, religious structures have continued toserve the state as a grand symbolic device through associations with divine authorities and spiritual devotions,as evident from the designs of exquisite churches, mosques, and temples, commissioned by the ruling elitesaround the globe. For Siam and Thailand, the practice of erecting such “sacred-cum-secular” architectureis illustrated by the constructions of Wat Benchama Bophit during King Rama V’s absolutist reign and WatPhra Sri Mahathat, Bangkhen after the 1932-democratic revolution. Via discourse and iconographical analyses,this research presents a critical inquiry on the aforementioned Buddhist temples in Bangkok regarding theirroles in: 1) providing a means of power meditation for the governments; 2) representing a material embodimentfor the creations of national and cultural identities known as Thainess or khwampenthai; and 3) servingas a strategic tool to implement social policies as well as to prescribe political ideologies for the populaces.The study also examines the ways in which each building functioned in its socio-political contexts for theThais to engage the West and modernity, by utilizing Thainess as a mode of problematization. The upcomingcomparative discussions on both temples aim to further self-reflexive dialogues among power, ideology, Thaiidentity, and the built environment, particularly on the formations and revisions of architectural meanings.