Thai Folk Legends from 4 Regions : Analysis of Democracy Concepts

Abstract

This research aimed at analyzing democratic concepts in Thai folklores from four regions of Thailand. The data were collected from folklores from the north, central, northeast and southern regions. Twenty folklores were used for each region making a total of 80 folklores. The democratic concepts were analyzed in terms of deference, conscience and unity.

The results showed that unity was the most used concept in Thai folklores which were not only telling the stories but also promoting harmony and unity in the society. The second most used concept was deference which was reflected in the folklores to uphold the monarchy, respect rules and regulations as well as respect others’ right and liberty. The least appeared concept was conscience which was aimed to encourage people to use conscience to solve any problems or conflicts and to use a democratic process to choose leader.