Analogue activism: historical agency of communication devices in the 1992 Black May uprising, Thailand

This paper revisits the analogue age to analyse the role of communication devices in the ‘Black May’ political uprising in Bangkok in May 1992. It employs a qualitative historical method, utilizing newspapers, special-issue news magazines, memoirs and existing monographs as historical sources. From a post-humanist perspective, this paper argues that technological devices, such as mobile phones, faxes, cable TV, satellite dishes, videocassettes and VCRs, played a major role in shaping the course of the event. These devices acted as historical agents by connecting and forming a network that created a non-physical space for public interaction beyond the Thai government’s control. They helped organize the rally, disseminate information across locations and times, and record and convey horrifying moving images beyond government censorship. The circulation of these graphic visuals across the world, with the help of satellites, obliterated the government’s legitimacy. Influenced by the material turn, this paper argues that the narrative of history is not driven solely by human actors such as the middle class, protest leaders and officials. It suggests that objects, too, exert a profound and impactful influence.