Muslim Identities in Thai Cinema

Abstract

The study is a qualitative research that analyzes Muslim identities in Thai cinema and the process of constructing the Muslim identities based on 8 Thai films released between 1985 to 2017: They are Peesua and Dokmai (Butterfly and Flower, 1985), Pulakon (1989), Talumpuk (2002), OK Betong (2003), Ameen (2015), Latitude No. 6 (2015), Mahasamut Lae Susarn (The Island Funeral, 2016), and Sajja Thoranee (2017). The purpose is to study the attribute of Muslim identities projected in Thai films and scrutinize the process of constructing the Muslim identities in Thai cinema. The tools employed consist of Islamic principles, theories on social reality construction, the concept of identity, theories on narrative, the concept of character building, and film language. Key findings are:1.There are 11 aspects of Muslim identities projected in Thai films, namely physical identity; collective or community identity; identity derived from religious faith; identity based on pluralism; identity founded on compassion; identity expressed through violence; identity projected through gender inequality; identity projected through alienation; identity derived from weakness; identity projected through craftiness; and identity derived from the status of victim.2.The construction of Muslim identities consists of two approaches: the construction of identities through characterization and the construction of identities through cinematic language (visual and sound).