Abstract

Thai culture and Thai studies have been under researched and often grouped together with Southeast Asian studies. In globalized mediascape, there remains a significant gap between reality and stereotypical rhetoric in depictions of Thai culture and society. This has resulted in inaccurate representation of Thai culture. To alleviate this cultural representation issue, I took a cultural studies approach to conduct a film analysis of The King and I, an animated musical fantasy and family movie produced by Warner Bros. The film is loosely based on the fictional memoir of Anna Leonowens. It was released in 1999, and has been banned in Thailand, along with its other adaptations. I examined the depiction of Thailand and its history, culture, and people in The King and I to interrogate the dominant ideologies (e.g., white saviorism, orientalism) beneath its storylines, songs, characterizations and character relationships. My analysis was guided by critical lenses: postcolonial and feminist criticisms. This goal also orients to these personal questions: I am a person of Thai heritage; why does this film “bother me”? Why does my Mom, a woman born and raised in Southern Thailand loath it? Why is it banned in Thailand? Why are there so many adaptations if it is problematic? Through this analysis, I have demonstrated that although visually beautiful, the film’s content has significant instances of white saviorism, orientalism, and distortions of Thai history and Thai culture.

Advisor

Tian, Zhenyu

Second Advisor

Reeder,Terry

Department

Communication Studies; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Keywords

Thai Studies, film analysis, Thailand, thai culture, misrepresentation

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2025 Ami R. Hughes