ABSTRACT
This chapter develops three trajectories of change: the transformation of Thailand over the last thirty years, changes in the disciplines of Thai studies and Cultural Anthropology, and my personal experience in Thailand over the same years. It introduces two orienting metaphors that emerge out of Thai experience: kalatesa (time/space) and palimpsest. Kalatesa draws attention to order and surface appearances, a theme developed further throughout the book. The chapter explores the various linkages that have been made between Buddhism and gender in Thai society. Then the chapter also looks at gendered nationalism and how the state requires the display of women as icons that express Thai national identity and confirm Thai masculinity. It examines beauty contests, both local and global, exemplify the display of women as visual icons.
