Which ‘nation’ persists?: The competing notions of the Thai nation as reflected in public monuments

Nationalist events, including parades and official festivals filled with pomp and ceremony, make it clear that nationalists consciously endeavour to project a unique and united nation. Bastille Day celebrations in France (see Elgenius in this volume), for example, project nothing less than the existence of a singular French nation which, beyond any political differences, is supported by all French citizens, regardless of social class; alternative interpretations of the nation are dismissed out of hand as the work of outsiders or, worse, traitors to the nation.