Genealogy of the Masses. A provocative deconstruction of how 'The People' evolved from a term of class contempt into a tool of modern political legitimacy.
Categories : Non-Fiction , 150 THB ,
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On People:
Defining 'The People' from Ancient Rome to Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès
By Thanes Wongyannava
The word "People" as you know it—as you feel it—will never be the same again.
In contemporary discourse, "The People" is a term uttered with such frequency and performative zeal by politicians of every stripe that it has become akin to a verbal reflex—or, as Thanes Wongyannava suggests, a form of "regurgitation." Yet, beneath this veneer of modern sanctity lies a history of paradox, exclusion, and profound class anxiety.
On People serves as a conceptual map, tracing the evolution of this term from the social hierarchies of Ancient Rome to the radical transformations of the French Revolution led by Abbé Sieyès. It dismantles the sacred aura of the word to reveal its gritty, derogatory roots.
For much of history, "The People" did not signify a sovereign body of equals; rather, it denoted the "low-born"—the socially worthless masses. The struggle for "People Power" was, in reality, a lethal battle over status. To the ruling elite, acknowledging the power of the "lower orders" was not a democratic milestone, but an unthinkable loss of honor.
Wongyannava provocatively illustrates that even as the term moved toward its modern "sacred" status, it remained a vessel of exclusion—long omitting the poor, the landless, and women.
Who, then, are "The People"? Is it a divine mandate, a social slur, or an empty signifier?
// Table of Contents //
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: From Provocatio to Civitas
Chapter 3: From Robert Filmer to Thomas Hobbes: The Malignity of the "People"
Chapter 4: Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès and the Construction of the "People"
Chapter 5: Epilogue: The State, The People, and the Fragility of the Human Condition
Details
▪️Format : Paperback
▪️Piyavit Tepumnuaysakul : Editor
▪️Designed by ● SM STUDIO | Chirawat Rotaim ●
▪️Published : April 2020
▪️Length : 152 pages
▪️ISBN : 978-616-719-653-4
▪️Dimensions (in) : 5.25 x 8.25
▪️Price : 150 THB
