Thought Formation and the Meaning of “Shame” Emotions among the Siamese Elite from the Late Ayutthaya Period until Early Rattanakosin Era before the 1840s

Abstract

This article aims to study the idea and meaning of the elite's "shame" from the late Ayutthaya period to the early Rattanakosin period before the 1840s, employing the concept of emotional history, which is the study of historical changes through emotions. It appears as social behavior through four types of documents: the first category consists of religious texts that emphasize on emotional restraint and the division of time and space. The second category, literature, explained the “shame” emotion of elite which reflects their thoughts and meaning in literature, which other categories of documents have not discussed. The Rattanakosin Chronicle documents form the third category recorded the shameful behavior of the elite and punishment in the form of "Theatre State," which is a performance of merit connected to the last group of documents, the legal documents. They demonstrate the penalty in the form of public condemnation to make the offender feel guilty and the audience feel guilty about the shameful behavior. according to the elite's norms, which are accepted as being a part of everyone's emotions in society.