| Summary/Abstract |
For the past three decades, nationalism has been a topic of great interest among scholars in the field of Thai Studies. Most of these scholars have, however, neglected the issue of gender in their examination of Thai nationalism. This article addresses this oversight by examining Thawiphop (Two Worlds) and Khu kam (Sunset on the Chao Phraya), two of the most popular novels by Thommayanti. As a well known nationalist and self-proclaimed feminist, Thommayanti has united the topics of gender and nationalism in these two works by representing female protagonists who strive to play an active role in the nationalist effort. Close examination reveals, however, that the nationalism of both protagonists is based on the psychoanalytic structure of the family romance that ultimately leads to a subversion of their agency. Thus, despite Thommayanti's attempt to depict strong and independent women in her novels, her characters ultimately fall short of transcending their subordinate roles in the discourse of nationalism.
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