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Rama X wbackcover cseas

#69  Rama X: The Thai Monarchy under King Vajiralongkorn, edited by Pavin Chachavalpongpun. 
306pp. (2024). cloth, $39.00; paper, $28.00.

Reviewer Comments. . . ."While monarchical succession in the modern western world has little impact on daily politics, the accession of King Rama X has profoundly affected Thai society in previously unimagined ways.  This book boldly undertakes the task of outlining the changes to power structures in the new reign, whether these affect parliamentary politics, peoples’ politics, political rights and freedoms or even cultural politics. Its chapters by outstanding scholars in the field represent a valuable resource to understand not merely the changes to the Thai monarchy, but also the root causes of the political turbulence of the past few decades."
- Kanokrat Lertchoosakul, Chulalongkorn University
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Front and Back cover for Coup, King, Crisis

#68  Coup, King, Crisis: A Critical Interregnum in Thailand, edited by
Pavin Chachavalpongpun.  369pp. (2020). Cloth, $39.00; paper, $28.00. 
    Examines the royal transition in Thailand from the 2014 coup through to the 2017 Constitution and the 2019 election.  The royal transition sparked a crisis that pressured important institutions of the nation, from the politicized judiciary to the troubled Sanga or priesthood.  The period of waiting has influenced all aspects of Thai governance.  This volume, which brings together some of the leading writers in Thailand, is the first book-length analysis of this deep transition.
   Reviewers Comments. . ."Coup, King, Crisis is a multifaceted and deeply nuanced probe into the doldrums in which Thailand today seems becalmed.  For those who want to understand teh relations among Thailand's complex past, cultural values, and political tensions, this book is essential reading."  - Michael Herzfeld, Harvard University
   ". . . .An indispensable and provocative volume . . . offering new and challenging insights. . .speaking to hte present and helping to write the future." - Michael K. Connors, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
   ". . . If you want to understand the direction in which Thailand's politics is heading, read this book."  - Patrick Jory, The University of Queensland
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Front and Back cover for The Rise of The Octobrists in Contemporary Thailand

#65  The Rise of the Octobrists, by Kanokrat Lertchoosakul.  364pp. (2016). Cloth, $38.00; paper, $27.00. 
    Chronicles the history of the "Octobrist" students in Thai politics from teh 1970s to the present, and examines the reasons why these former leftist student activists have remained a significant force over three decades.  The book is important for readers interested in social movement theory, political opportunity structure, resource mobilization theory and framing process.
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Book Cover for Tribes of the North Thailand Frontier

#51  Tribes of the North Thailand Frontier, by Jane R. Hanks and Lucien M. Hanks.  368pp. (2001). Cloth, $37.00; paper, $25.00. 
    Examines several Sino-Tibetan tribes on the northern border of Chiangrai Province in Thailand and describes their interaction with their social, ecological, economic and political environments.  The authors use data collected during visits to the area over a period of 15 years. (Includes oversized fold-out map)
  Reviewers’ comments: “…..spans mountains and valleys, captures indigenous pluralism, and continues a Boasian tradition of areal ethnography.  In locale, scope, and coherence, we have nothing to match this remarkable study, and, given the changes in scholarship and Southeast Asia, we never will.” -Richard O’Connor and Cornelia Ann Kammerer
   “…..brilliantly combines a detailed and sympathetic understanding of its subjects….with rigorous and painstaking scholarly standards  …..the definitive book on the peoples of the northern Thai borderlands….(and) an unrivalled panaorama of their changing world.” - Mika Toyota, University of Hull
 

#44    State Power and Culture in Thailand, Edited by E. Paul Durrenberger.  216pp. (1996).  Cloth, $32.00; paper, $20.00. 
   Six anthropologists attempt to understand local events and outlooks in Thailand by examining the relationships between state power and culture in that country.  Their analyses will be of wide interest in all of the social sciences as well as Asian studies and history. 
   Reviewers’ comments: “important reading for professionals and scholars in the field of Asian public and private sector management.”   -Reba Carruth, J. Asian Business

 

#37     Analytical Perspectives on Shan Agriculture and Village Economics, by E. Paul Durrenberger and Nicola Tannenbaum.  vii, 112 pp.  (1991).  Cloth, $25.00; paper, $15.00. 
   This pioneering work analyzes highland and lowland economic, political, and ideological systems. 
   Reveiwers’ comments: “provides a wealth of information on consumption-smoothing strategies in agrarian economies and particularly on how household decisions are conditioned.”  -G.A. Upali Wickramasinghe

 

#34     Bankers and Bureaucrats: The Development of Capital and the Role of the State in Thailand, by Kevin Hewison. ix, 320 pp. (1989).  Cloth, $30.00; paper, $17.00. 
   Traces the mutually supportive interaction of state and capital in an examination of the evolution of Thai political economy from pre-1855 to the early 1980s. 
   Reviewers’ Comments: “…informative, perceptive… substantial and scholarly book…”  -Malcolm Falkus 
 ”…challenges and stimulates…” -Ian Brown 
 ”…one of the more important texts on Thai political economy to emerge in recent years.” -Philip Hirsch

 

#31     A Culture in Search of Survival: The Phuan of Thailand and Laos, by Kennon Breazeale and Snit Smuckarn.  ix, 279 pp. (1988).  $17.00 
   Traces the various vicissitudes, migrations, and forced resettlements of the Phuan people, originally inhabiting the high plateau east of the Mekong River between Laos and Viet Nam, during the 19th century. 
   Reviewers’ Comments:  “…an impressive history, based on primary sources…well written…may be regarded as a model of good scholarship, and a step forward in the study of mainland Southeast Asia.” -B.J. Terwiel