The encounter between Italy and Siam at the dawn of the twentieth century: Italian artists and architects in the modernising Kingdom of Siam Neungreudee Lohapon* The Arc of Memory Research Unit and Department of Western Languages, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand (Received 6 March 2019; final version accepted 12 September 2019) This paper focuses on the encounters between Italy and Siam at the dawn of the twentieth century, as it was the most dynamic period of Italian settlement in the modernising Siam. The paper analyses the development of Siamese modernisation as a challenging opportunity for Italian entrepreneurs and professionals, thanks to a healthy diplomatic relation between the two countries. Compared to the main characteristics of the Italian diaspora, the Italian colony in Siam stands out because of the fruits of its creative production. Siam was described as a symbol of tradition, not very different from the way China was often viewed, while the West was regarded as a source of modernity. With this perspective, the fact that Siam herself initiated the modernisation process, as well as the recruitment of Italians as part of the government’s team in public works, architectural construction and civil engineering, was emphasised less than the part played by Italians in transforming the image of the Siamese capital. The paper examines how the encounters between Italy and Siam developed, attempting to do this from both Siamese and Italian perspectives, since both shared cultural memories, empirical evidence of cultural encounters and transculturality. Keywords: Italy-Asia; Italian-Thai; Siamese modernisation; cultural encounters; Italians in Asia. Introduction: the West as the source of Siamese modernisation Looking back at the geopolitics of high imperialism in Asia, from the second half of the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, we can see how the changing wind of world politics obliged the kingdom of Siam to make a move. When neighbouring states were all ruled by colonial powers – the British Empire in Asia and the French in Cochin China – it was quite a challenge for Siam to deal with predictable threats on each unclear border and the rising influence of the colonial West. The preservation of Siam’s sovereignty was, without doubt, a concern to the absolute monarch and most of the Siamese political elite, particularly in the reign of King Chulalongkorn (1868–1910). King Chulalongkorn was often depicted by the contemporary European press as an ‘enlightened’ man when referring to his attitude towards modernisation or Westernisation. The strategic process of reform and modernisation was developed as a crucial state policy under his reign, pushing forward a large number of changes and reforms with a strong focus on the West as the source of progress and modern ‘civilisation’. This was the key move in withstanding the *Email: Neungreudee.L@chula.ac.th Modern Italy, 2019 Vol. 24, No. 4, 469–484, doi:10.1017/mit.2019.60 © 2019 Association for the Study of Modern Italy https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/mit.2019.60 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 107.175.209.20, on 25 Jan 2020 at 15:18:05, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at