A Set of Ideas on Songs Produced by the National Council for Peace and Order: A Critical Discourse

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze a set of ideas appeared on songs produced by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) from 2014 to 2019 on the basis of critical discourse analysis. The information used in this study was 12 songs collected from YouTube website. The findings from the study revealed that there were five sets of ideas, namely, the military, the nation, the people, the democracy, and the king. As related to discourse practice created by the military, therefore, the military passed on their thoughts through songs produced and made known to the public. With regard to social and cultural practices, they were associated with Thai society which was full of political conflicts. Accordingly, the military paid attention to patriotism, harmony and reconciliation, and respect for the monarchy that had an influence on the development of those mindsets. Therefore, the mindsets appeared in the songs produced by the NCPO acted as an important tool that passed on the thoughts indicating social dimension at that time. Meanwhile, they contributed to controlling people’s behaviors to become desirable citizens according to the military’s expectations since it was the period Thailand dealt with political conflicts.