The Representation of Women in Thai Literature Entitled “Khun Chang Khun Phaen”

Abstract

This article aimed to study the representation of women in Thai literature entitled “KhunChang KhunPhaen”. In this study, the researcher applied the concept of representation in the study and the research was conducted through Descriptive Analysis. The results of this study revealed that the authors created the representation of women into 4 types as follows: 1) women and motherhood, that is, women played their role as good mothers in accordance with social norms, 2) women and wives, that is,  women had the qualities of being good wives and wives that deviated from social norms, 3) women as sexual objects, that is, women were viewed as sexual objects through their feminine physique and as a treatment for men's libido under the masculine socio-cultural structure, and 4) women and being others in society, that is, women had relationships that deviated from social norms and femininity, and women were viewed as ethnic marginalized ones. Creating the representation of women in Thai literature entitled “KhunChang KhunPhaen” was built on the basis of unequal power relations between male and female. This made women inferior to men in social, political, and cultural aspects.