Paesaggio urbano come espressione del potere: Bangkok e la "terra dei Thay" tra Occidentalismo e tradizione

Abstract

This article aims to highlight the methods of construction and management of the urban landscapes of Thailand and its capital Bangkok, and the naturalistic, artistic and monumental content that underlies them, first by the Chakri dynasty and then by the governments and military juntas that followed from the military coup of 1932 to the present day, including the change of name of the nation from Siam to Thailand in 1939. It is a country that, unique in the area, had not known colonial domination but had chosen 'other' cultural worlds to refer to, in particular the French and Italian ones, to build a new image and a new 'modern' identity, first by enhancing natural scenery, then by building new urban dynamics around monumental areas full of historical memories.