The course of true loyalists never did run smooth: Critical discourse analysis of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in Thai school textbooks

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between the use of the Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in Chinese 三国演义 (Sanguo Yanyi) and in Thai สามก๊ก (Sam Kok), as a Thai textbook and its contribution to the realignment of royal-nationalist ideology in the context of Thai society. By emphasizing historical conditions and linguistic practice within the framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, the article argues that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Sam Kok has been employed to reinforce Thai state ideology in forming Thai citizens. The text also reflects the changing moral focus that the Thai state and ruling elites want to inculcate in their youth under different circumstances. In this light, the analysis of the persistence of its episodes in Thai school textbooks helps readers gain a new understanding that has not been explored in previous studies.