“Comparative literature, as a discipline, has brought the study of literature to an intercultural level. It transcends borders imposed by nationalism, languages, historical periods or the assumed specificity of academic disciplines as well as art forms. Comparative literature also relates literature with intellectual activities and other forms of human expression; in other words, it situates literature in the global context.
Trisilp Boonkachorn
In this way, the study of comparative literature belongs to the age of globalization in which the world is united by the advance in technology and communication–that is, the world ‘without border’. Comparative literature aims at the ‘borderlessness’ of the literary and artistic world, and yet does not fail to recognize racial and cultural diversities. It places great emphasis on ‘difference’ which is central to each society’s particularities, while gearing toward the unity and universality of humanity.”
One of the founders of CU’s comparative literature department
Comparative Literature
Comparative literature is an interdisciplinary academic field that deals with the comparison of literatures from different languages, cultures, national or ethnic groups. It also engages with the study of literature across media such as different art forms – films, plays, paintings etc. Comparative literature today has grown to include a wide range of theoretical applications across disciplines such as psychology, Marxism and gender studies.
The field has long been associated with the concept of ‘World Literature’ (1827) made known by the celebrated German literary figure, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, whose advocation of mankind’s universal literary spirit encouraged the study of literatures from different linguistic and cultural contexts.
In nineteenth-century Europe, comparative literature was developed and expanded in conjunction with the emergence of various literary schools and movements, with its centre in France and Germany. At present, comparative literature is studied in top universities across Europe and the United States. The field has grown ‘interdiciplinary’ as modern comparatists venture into the fields of translation studies, sociology, science, cultural studies and history.
Chulalongkorn University’s department of comparative literature is the first and only of its kind in Thailand.
Our story
Formerly known as a division of the faculty of Arts, the department of comparative literature has offered an MA Program in comparative literature since 1973. In 1998, the division became a department under the 8th National Higher Education Development Plan (1997-2001) and can be considered the first university department in Thailand which offers a program leading to the master’s degree in comparative literature. At present, the department provides both graduate-level courses and elective courses in literary studies for undergraduate students from all faculties and offers the PhD Program in comparative literature through the faculty’s center for literary studies.