Economic Conditions in Asia, Thailand - History

History of Thailand

Name: History of Thailand
Author: Chris Baker
ISBN: 9780521759151

by Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit

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Overview

In A History of Thailand, Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit reveal how a world of mandarin nobles and unfree labour evolved into a rural society of smallholder peasants and an urban society populated mainly by migrants from southern China. They trace how a Buddhist cosmography adapted to new ideas of time and space, and a traditional polity was transformed into a new nation-state under a strengthened monarchy. The authors cover the contests between urban nationalists, ambitious generals, communist rebels, business politicians, and social movements to control the nation-state and redefine its purpose. They describe the dramatic changes wrought by a booming economy, globalization, and the evolution of mass society. Finally, they show how Thailand's path is still being contested by those who believe in change from above and those who fight for democracy and liberal values. Drawing on new Thai-language research, this second edition brings the Thai story up to date and includes a new section on the 2006 coup and the restoration of an elected government in 2008.

Synopsis

This lively, accessible book is the first new history of Thailand in English for two decades.

About the Author, Chris Baker

Christopher Baker writes regularly in the Thai and Asian regional press. He is the co-author of Thailand: Economy and Politics, Thailand's Boom and Bust, Thailand's Crisis and Thaksin: The Business of Politics in Thailand.

Pasuk Phongpaichit is Professor of Economics at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. She has written widely in Thai and English on the Thai economy, Japanese investment, the sex industry, corruption, and the illegal economy.