PERFORMING NORTHERN THAI MUSIC TOWARD LANNA MUSIC: DECENTRALIZATION OF MUSIC IN THE THAI NATION

Abstract

Nation and nation-state are effectively political consequences of colonialism; however, in the present day, the physical domination of the western power has been decreasingly deducted after realizing colonization’s matters and conceptualizing a post-colonialism perspective, especially in Southeast Asia afterwards. Inevitably thinking of nationalism has been absorbed in many levels of people’s lives namely in socio-economic and socio-cultural factors, particularly in terms of current capitalism. Nationalism is issued to arguments of thought and transmitted to later generations by the din of pushing it in literature, Arts, history as well as music. This paper aims to reveal a forming nationalism in the music of Thailand, people encountering the nationalism stream, and a constructing localization in order to make a balance in multi-cultural power. Thai nationalism was unavoidably tied down to centralization−the designation of ‘Bangkok setting’ emerged and played a significant role in dominating the music(s) of different parts of Thailand other than central Thai music. The Lanna music stratagem is to hash over and deal with centralization by social practices and tried to decentralize itself from Bangkok setting influence, the Lanna tactically utilizes the development of academic works and publications as a way out to inaugurate their remarkable standpoint in Thai academic contribution, and performs their unique identity through the music of Lanna. The decentralization of Lanna music is claimed a success owing to using their social capital and self-improvement and encouragement of Lanna academicians.

Keywords: Lanna music, Nationalism, Centralization