This paper is concerned with the ongoing intense interest in Thailand of two controversial urban Buddhist movements which have appeared since the beginning of the seventies, Santi Asok and Thammakaai. Essentially, I view both as a resonance of the perceived need for ‘change’ among an articulate aspiring new middle class. I also argue that both Santi Asok and Thammakaai in their expressions — Thammakaai the specious discursive function of capital, Santi Asok by confrontation and spurning what they consider an ‘amoralistic’ establishment — are predicating a radical critique of the Thai social order, a call for collective ‘inner-worldly activism’ and ‘individualistic’ reflexive response to convention.
目次
Thammakaai and Santi Asok (1) 113 Thammakaai Foundation 114 Santi Asok 117 Santi Asok, Politics and Mahaachamlong 118 Thammakaai and Santi Asok (II) 122 Conclusion 124 Bibliography 124
