LOCALIZING JUSTICE: VERNACULAR LEGAL LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL ORDER IN PRE-MODERN CHAIYA CITY-STATES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/acsr.2025.8Keywords:
Legal Language, Vernacular Law, Chaiya City-States, Local Adaptation, Social OrderAbstract
This study examines the interplay of legal language, local adaptation, and social order in the Chaiya city-states of southern Thailand prior to the late 19th-century reforms. Employing documentary research, it analyzes vernacular legal texts ("books of law") and compares them to the central Siamese Three Seals Law. The research identifies four distinct styles of legal language in the Chaiya texts, including Thai, Southern Thai dialect, and mixed forms, which reflect the local language, customs, and moral principles integrated into legal interpretation and enforcement. Exploring how the vernacularization of legal language shaped local legal practices and maintained social order, the study underscores the significance of understanding the relationship between legal language, cultural context, and justice administration in pre-modern Southeast Asia. It challenges the concept of uniform legal application. It highlights the agency of local communities in adapting legal principles to their specific circumstances, contributing to a deeper understanding of legal pluralism and its role in shaping social order within a regional context.
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