The nation as a ritual community

Nationalisms can be understood as cultural systems shaped by particular histories which create collective identities through the use of symbols and myths. ¹ Monarchy has long been recognized as a potent national symbol linking the present with the past and thus providing a sense of authenticity and continuity. Using Meiji Japan (1868–1912) and post-war Thailand until the fall of the Thanom dictatorship (1946–73) as case studies, it is argued here, however, that apart from being one national symbol among others, monarchy can be a uniquely powerful institution for nation-building and the creation of national identities. As a ritual institution, monarchy can negotiate social complexities and contradictions necessarily present in every imagined community. ²