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Studies in Contemporary Thailand
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THAI ABSOLUTE MONARCHY
: Foundations of the Modern Thai State from Feudalism to Peripheral Capitalism
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 2by Chaiyan Rajchagool
US$ 17.50
Book order code : E 21 712
This is no ordinary study of nation building. It differs markedly in its theoretical approach from existing studies of Thailand. In the mid-nineteenth century, Siam was no more than a loose grouping of petty states and principalities, lacking well-defined borders and a centralized power structure. Yet within a period of forty years a unified state had emerged. How and why had this happened? Those are the questions addressed by this penetrating study. It is central to the author’s argument that the form of the new state was the absolute monarchy. He analyzes the socioeconomic conditions that existed at the time of Siam’s early contact with Western economic and colonial forces and examines the ways in which political and administrative control gradually came to be held by the Bangkok-based monarchy. The author also addresses the question of why, within another forty years, the absolute monarchy had been replaced by a constitutional monarchy.
(Bangkok 1994) ISBN 974-8495-10-4
229 pp.,150 x 210 mm
THE CHINESE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL IN PHUKET
: Religion, Ethnicity and Tourism on a southern Thai Island
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No.9by Cohen, Erik
US$ 25.00
Book order code : E 22 244
This vegetarian festival is the most popular and complex religious event in southern Thailand. In this richly illustrated work, Erik Cohen presents a detailed ethnography of the festival based on extended fieldwork conducted in the course of the 1990s. The focus of Cohen's analysis is the interrelationship between the dynamics of the festival, Chinese ethnicity in contemporary Thailand and the development of tourism on the island of Phuket. The study shows that, though the festival expanded considerably in recent times and became increasingly spectacular, its fundamental structure manifests a surprising degree of continuity, even as its meaning increasingly changes from a devotional ritual to a public spectacle. Surprisingly, however, the growing popularity of the festival is due less to foreign tourism on the island, and more to a growing attraction of the festival for the Thai and foreign Chinese believers and visitors, in quest of an "authentic" Chinese festival which cannot be seen anymore even in contemporary China.
(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-89-4
299 pp. 64 pp. color illus., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
THAI TOURISM: Hill Tribes, Islands and opened-ended Prostitution.
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 4by Cohen, Erik
US$ 20.00
Book order code : E 21 857This book brings together almost two decades of Erik Cohen’s studies on different aspects of tourism in Thailand. A broad introductory review of the principal recent trends and transformations in Thai tourism is followed by in-depth studies of three tourist domains: ethnic tourism in the hill tribe area of northern Thailand, vacationing tourism on the islands of southern Thailand and sex tourism in Bangkok. These studies are based on extensive field work and set within the theoretical framework of contemporary sociology of tourism, on which the author is a leading expert
(Bangkok 2001, 2nd printing) ISBN974-8496-67-8
409 pp., 150 x 215 mm, pbk.
WHOSE PLACE IS THIS?
Malay Rubber Producers and Thai Government Officials in Yala
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 5by Cornish, Andrew
US$ 15.00
Book order code : E 21 938
A detailed case study of ethnic conflict in a development scheme in southern Thailand. The book describes the interactions between Malay rubber producers in Yala province and local Thai government officials who sought to establish and promote a co-operative rubber marketing project. Using the results of ethnographic fieldwork carried out near Thailand’s southern border, the author outlines the historical background to the region’s cultural diversity. After an investigation of the operations of the local bureaucracy, the focus shifts to two Malay communities to show how they participated in the government’s marketing scheme. One group enjoyed profits and success, while the other’s efforts ended in failure, yet the author argues that both display common elements in the struggle for control of material and cultural resources at the local level. The results provide a broader hypothesis about the nature of Malay resistance to Thai rule, and the place of minorities in modern Thailand.
(Bangkok 1997) ISBN 974-8496-70-8
146 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THAILAND
: Challenges and Opportunities
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 11by Dearden, Philip (Editor)
US$ 22.50
Book order code : E 22 291
This volume of edited conference proceedings targets many of the key problems now facing Thailand. For almost a decade Thailand enjoyed world-leading economic growth rates. But this short-term growth also concealed long-term costs to the social and environmental fabric of the country. This book contains a wide selection of papers that address issues relating to rural development and both marine and terrestrial environmental protection. It starts with an overview of some of the current challenges facing Thailand and finishes with a plea for the need to "Walk the Middle Path" towards future development. In between there are chapters ranging from the impacts of aquaculture through to cash crop development in the highlands and the current state of the marine park system in Thailand. The book will be indispensable reading for anyone with an interest in natural resource management, environment and sustainable development in Thailand.
(Bangkok 2002) ISBN 974-4800-03-8
458 pp., 20 pp. illus. in color, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
TRADITIONAL T’AI ARTS IN CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No.7by Howard, Michael C., Wattana Wattanapun & Alec Gordon (Eds)
US$ 27.50
Book order code : E 22 026
The papers contained in this book examine a variety of forms of artistic expression, including weaving and fashion, carving, painting, and dancing, as well as boxing. The chapters are written by academics and artists and the volume as a whole reflects a blending of the perspectives of those who study the arts and those who practice them. While the focus is on the arts of T’ai peoples in Thailand, attention is also paid to T’ais in the neighboring countries of Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. Such a geographical spread reflects a growing interest in the comparative study of T’ai-speaking peoples living in different political and social settings in an effort to better understand common themes in T’ai culture and how it has evolved throughout the region. The chapters are accompanied by ninety-three color photos that provide a pictorial survey of the forms of artistic expression among T’ai peoples.
(Bangkok 1998) ISBN 974-8434-28-1
251 pp., 72 pp. color illus., 150 x 210 mm., pbk.
CENTRAL AUTHORITY AND LOCAL DEMOCRATIZATION IN THAILAND
: A Case Study from Chachoengsao Province
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 6by Nelson, Michael H.
US$ 22.50
Book order code : E 22 022
This book contributes to a political theory of contemporary Thailand. This study does not accept the demise of the bureaucratic polity, rather, center-periphery differences are emphasized as the bureaucratic polity is very much alive in the countryside. The institutional aspects of bureaucratic dominance, integration of the subdistrict level into the central hierarchy, the introduction of elections of subdistrict and village headmen and the often neglected provincial administrative organization are emphasized. The question whether there already exists a politically aware audience, indispensable as a countervailing force to the bureaucracy, is addressed by focusing on the widely used practice of electoral influence peddling and vote-buying. These questions are treated in the context of two major political changes in Thailand: decentralization and a reform of the relationship between the political system and the citizens.
(Bangkok 1998) ISBN 972-8434-17-6
346 pp., 24 pp. illus.,150 x 210 mm, pbk .
THE POLITICS OF RUINS AND THE BUSINESS OF NOSTALGIA
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 10by Peleggi, Maurizio
US$ 13.50
Book order code : E 22 273
This book investigates the theory and practice of heritage conservation in Thailand, focusing in particular on the period from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s. Although the trend towards historic preservation first appeared in Thailand at the end of the nineteenth century and was further promoted by the nationalist regime of the 1940s and 1950s, it has become a major governmental undertaking since 1977, when the first historical park projects were launched. National pride and international awareness of Thailand's cultural heritage have increased considerably in recent times. This monograph questions the commonplace glorification of historic sites as tangible signs of the past glory of the Thai nation. The state-sponsored material and discursive practices that have led to the institutionalization of Thailand's national heritage are examined, along with their contestation by elements of civil society, vis-a-vis the process of political and social change. The book also analyzes the commodification and consumption of heritage sites as tourist attractions, as well as the linkage between the promotional narratives of tourism advertising and the official historical narrative of the Thai nation.
(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-95-9
110 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
FISHERMEN NO MORE? LIVELIHOOD AND ENVIRONMENT IN SOUTHERN THAI MARITIME VILLAGES
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 8by Ruohomaki, Olli-Pekka
US$ 17.50
Book order code : E 22 058
Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 8 is an ethnographic account of the social and economic transformation of coastal villages in Phangnga Bay, Southern Thailand. The Andaman Sea region of Southern Thailand has been involved in the rapid transformation of the regional economy for over a decade and the repercussions of this transformation are very visible in the coastal villages of Phangnga Bay. Part of this transformation has meant that fishing is no longer the sole source of income for village households, but that a host of other activities compete with fishing and provide better opportunities for individuals who are prepared to engage in new activities. The changes in the source and patterns of livelihood that are taking place in Phangnga Bay villages are a graphic, at times almost grotesque, illustration of a social process occuring throughout the Southern Thai coast.
(Bangkok 1999) ISBN 974-8434-60-5
310 pp., 8 pp. color illus., 2 maps, 150 x 210 mm,pbk.
