Siamese "Slavery": the Institution and Its Abolition.

Abstract

This dissertation studies the Siamese (Thai) institution of servitude and its abolition, two related issues which have not yet been sufficiently treated or integrated into one study. Part I examines the institution of servitude which existed in Siam (present-day Thail and ) as early as Siamese written records are available. A concise analysis of the institution of "freemen" (phrai) provides a better underst and ing of the institution and of the situation of "slaves" (that), since the majority of "slaves" in Siam appear to have been indigenous and the status of "slaves" and "freemen" was fluid and reversible. Knowledge of the institutions of servitude and "freemen" provides the social, economic, and political background necessary for a better underst and ing of Siamese history prior to 1905 in general and the complications surrounding the abolition of "slavery" treated in part 2, in particular. Part 2 examines circumstances surrounding King Chulalongkorn, who abolished "slavery" between 1874 and 1905, his early political preoccupations, and their implications in his reforms and activities. The study emphasizes the abolition and Chulalongkorn's probable motives for abolition at different stages. Resulting changes in Siam's political structure, attitudes, and economy in relation to the situation of servitude and its abolition are discussed throughout. Besides examining these two related issues from a unique perspective, this dissertation offers some interpretations and analyses contradicting many conventional views of both issues, in the hope that they will stimulate further studies and discussions as well as re-evaluations and re-interpretations of aspects of Siamese social, economic, and political history.