ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how a sense of order is constructed through representations of Thai women, using two metaphors for time – one from Thai etiquette (kalatesa) and one from English literature (palimpsest). It contrasts this with the pragmatics of the Thai women's movement, showing how a sense of order underlies both representations of the past and contemporary feminist practice. Kalatesa is a Thai noun that means proper, suitable or balanced according to dictionary definitions, and politeness, appropriateness, or context according to Thai informants. The chapter explains how events and persons come together appropriately in time and space. Knowing kalatesa results in orderliness in social relations, khwam riaproy. Knowledge of kalatesa is expressed through dress, language, and manner. Certain choices are appropriate, like wearing bright clothes at weddings but modest black clothes at funerals.
