วาทกรรม“กุลสตรี” ในนิตยสารกุลสตรี

Abstract

This thesis aimed at studying the discourses of virtuous women in editorials, articles, interview texts and advertisements from 1,124 issues of Kullastree Magazine from 1971 to 2018. Two models of analysis were employed: the speech components by Hymes (1974) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Fairclough (1995). The findings of the study revealed 9 language strategies that conveyed ideologies. These strategies could be classified into the following 3 groups: 1) strategies expressing pre-existing beliefs including word choice or word group, presupposition, metaphor, conditional sentence and proverb, 2) guiding strategies including modality and reference, and 3) guiding reinforcement strategies including intertextuality and rhetorical question. Moreover, three major discourses on the virtuous women were identified: perfect housewife ideology, modern famine ideology, and ideology of women staying pretty. Pertaining to the findings on discourse practice, these indicated that the mindsets conveyed through the texts in the magazine were prone to easily influence readers’ thought. In terms of text reception and interpretation, it was found that discourse recipients would accept the power of discourse senders, and this would result in changes which were in accordance with social and cultural contexts in each era. The findings on social and cultural practices conveyed through Kullastree Magazine for 47 years showed that the practices have probably fashioned Thai people’s thought and beliefs, resulting in them becoming the following 5 ideologies: patriarchy, feminism, individualism, capitalism and consumerism. Therefore, it could be claimed that “the virtuous woman discourses” conveyed in Kullastree Magazine were dynamic in presenting women concepts and practices which were in accordance with expectancy endorsed in the consistently changing society.