"The Judicial-Intellectual Class”

The Politics of Class Structure and Strategic Hegemony in Judicialization of Thai Politics Regime, After 2006

Abstract

This study interrogates the Thai political crisis arising from the judiciary’s proactive interventions in political cases, a phenomenon referred to as the “Judicialization of Thai Politics.” Rather than limiting the inquiry to the judiciary as an institutional apparatus, it emphasizes the cultural power of the so-called "The judicial-intellectual class” as part of a broader historical bloc. The central hypothesis is that judicialization has assumed the status of an informal regime, emerging from the conjuncture of diverse political forces within a particular historical moment, in which the judiciary served as a crucial mechanism for constructing and sustaining hegemonic power through judicial rulings. To analyze this power relation, the study traces the class trajectories of judicial bureaucrats since the period prior to the 1932 Siamese Revolution, employing the concept of hegemonic strategy as the primary analytical domain, while synthesizing class theory as a subsidiary framework to explain the roles of various political groups in shaping hegemonic configurations after the 2006 coup.

               Findings indicate that the judicial-intellectual class crystallized through class struggles, combining economic and cultural capital with social capital derived from ties to the monarchy, military, and Buddhist sangha. These resources were transformed into symbolic capital, reproduced via the education system, and expanded alongside the middle class. Although this class occasionally aligned with democratic movements, its actions largely reflected the ideological orientation of the ruling elites, culminating in support for the 2006 coup. This reveals a conservative-leaning and ambivalent class position embedded within a complex hegemonic unity, which ultimately reinforced authoritarian power by positioning the judiciary as a pivotal political instrument.