Cultivating identities and capitalism: Scandinavians and the Siamese royal elite in-between empires.

This collaborative research project studies connections between Scandinavia and Siam (Thailand) from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century.

Through a unique compilation and analyses of source materials including memoirs, letters, and diplomatic records from Thailand, Sweden, and Denmark, the team will produce original research contributing to colonial, social and global history.

We will study the roles of Scandinavian entrepreneurs in the development of capitalism in Siam and their relationships to the Siamese royal elites.

Through the financial and social encounters between Scandinavians and Siam we will analyze the royal elite’s perception and understanding of capitalism, capitalist business culture and their selves in a changing society.

The project will be developing the framework of colonial studies by focusing on positions “in-between” – that is, the Scandinavian “small colonisers” in between the great European empires and Siam, the “non-colony”, in between the colonized Southeast Asian countries.

Another part of the study will focus on the Siamese in Scandinavia, and how those encounters shaped and reshaped the Siamese perceptions on colonialism.

Through this focus the project will contribute to the history of Scandinavian colonialism in general and Thai modern history more specifically.

With a focus on local encounters, this research will contribute to current discussions about micro- and macro levels of historical analysis in global social history.