Political Folklore and Religious Rituals: An Analysis of the Relationship between the State, Religion, and Power in the Film The Undertaker

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the relationship between the state, religion, and power through the representation of death rituals in the film The Undertaker. Employing the frameworks of Political Folklore and Michel Foucault’s concept of biopower, the study examines how religious rituals function as mechanisms for social regulation and the legitimation of state authority in Thai society.

Using a qualitative approach, the article is based on textual analysis of the film alongside a review of academic literature in folklore studies, anthropology, and power theory. The analysis focuses on the roles of the undertaker, temples, and funerals as institutional mechanisms through which the state and religion jointly manage life and death. Key issues examined include the moral classification of death, ritual practices surrounding corpse management, the reinforcement of family and community norms, and funerals as political spaces.

The findings reveal that death rituals in The Undertaker are not merely expressions of religious belief but operate as subtle instruments of power that regulate social order, reinforce moral values, and legitimize state authority through the governance of life and death. The article highlights funerary practices as everyday political spaces where power is embedded and reproduced, offering insights into the complex entanglement of ritual, religion, and political authority in contemporary Thai society.