Supplementary Occupations and Related Technique (Sinlapachip) Project and Meaning Construction of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit

Abstract

This article aims to examine how "Sinlapachip Project" has played an important role for meaning construction of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, the Mother of the Nation, who helps preserve the traditional arts and crafts, considered a part of refined and high culture and a source of national pride that should be safeguarded for the next generations. The Project portrays the image of villagers who inherit these skills and craft works from the eras of Ban Chiang and Ayutthaya. At the same time, the Project has crafted the role of the Queen as an integral part of the monarchy, which helps boost its popularity, especially through the creation of jobs for women and the betterment of quality of life for families in the rural area. Furthermore, the Project has been participated by high-ranked generals, including from the Second and Third Army Area Commands, which has spawned the idea of "Development Military", which has in turn solidified the relationship between the monarchy and the army. The monarchy has thus been popularized as the institution on which people can depend, as the leader for preserving national treasures, with the army as the main supporting mechanism for development projects in rural areas. These have helped secure the hegemony of the monarchy.