Banal revolutionary objects: Counter-memory and the materialization of Khana Ratsadon in Thailand

Abstract In 1932, Khana Ratsadon (the People’s Party) overthrew the absolute monarchy in a military coup, introducing constitutional rule in Siam (Thailand after 1939). The dominant historical narrative in Thailand centres on the monarchy as the instigator of historical change, celebrating the roles of Thai monarchs in the development and protection of democracy. According to this narrative, democracy is portrayed as the monarchy’s gift to the people, while the significance of the 1932 revolution and Khana Ratsadon has been marginalized in the history of the origins of democracy in Thailand. Since the military coups in Thailand in 2006 and 2014, both original and newly created objects related to Khana Ratsadon have emerged in political protests against coups and post-coup governments. Simultaneously, a revisionist historiography has gained momentum. This article explores how the discursive and material (re)emergence of Khana Ratsadon contributes to the formation of a counter-memory, creating a space for political commentary to enact and reimagine the possibilities of community anew. In doing so, the article will examine the intricate relationship between a historiography of oblivion, counter-memory, and what we term ‘banal and revolutionary objects’.