Manners as Cultural Capital in 1950s Thailand: A Study of Three Cultural Artefacts from the Writings of Santa T. Komolabutra

Abstract:This article is concerned with the study of three manners-related cultural artefacts produced and circulated during the 1950s in Thailand. Together, these artefacts capture, literally and visually, a proposal for ideal manners for the emerging Thai urban middle class. The article argues for the recognition of everyday commodities in the accumulation and display of good manners, emphasizing the moment of unification between the embodied and the objectified states of cultural capital. In so doing, the article highlights the link between manners and consumer capitalism. It also discusses how the imposition of Thai morality on modern consumption was instrumental in effecting politico-economic change in that era.