The sounds of silence: Thai meditative practice for personal and political change
Julia Cassaniti
American Anthropologist September 12, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/aman.13923 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 6 |
| Key points | Tausig's account describes Kittisak Janpeng (Diew) meditating silently amid a Bangkok protest, which Tausig presents as a nonverbal response to political violence that contrasted visually and sonically with the busy event; Diew said he sat and meditated in front of the tanks for five or six hours that day. |
Abstract
In the middle of Benjamin Tausig's (2019) Bangkok Is Ringing: Sound, Protest, and Constraint, amid the clamor of crowds protesting military suppression and the voices of those who would not be silenced, the narrative suddenly becomes quiet. Tausig focuses in on a man named Kittisak Janpeng (Diew) sitting silently among the protestors. He was protesting without words, a nonverbal reaction to political violence. By meditating, Tausig tells us, "Diew created a striking visual and sonic contrast with the busy event around him." When Tausig later contacts Diew for an interview, Diew explained how "I sat and meditated in front of the tanks for five or six hours [that day]" (90).