Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand

2. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-11286-0
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 494 Seiten, Format (B × H): 170 mm x 244 mm, Gewicht: 1070 g

This long-awaited second edition of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand offers a comprehensive, authoritative, and multidisciplinary investigation into the complex forces shaping the nation in the 21st century.

New for this edition is an in-depth exploration of the persistent dominance of the monarchy and the military; the systemic “lawfare” used to neutralise democratic challengers; and the emergence of vibrant, youth-led movements demanding fundamental structural reform. Beyond the political arena, the volume maps the intricate landscape of a society in flux: the digital transformation that has fostered both networked activism and sophisticated authoritarian surveillance; the historical roots of the violence in the southern border provinces; and the shift in gender and sexual politics from the margins to the forefront of human rights discourse. By assembling leading scholars to analyse the country’s turbulent modern trajectory, this volume transcends traditional narratives to provide an incisive examination of the systemic power dynamics, social fissures, and evolving political identities that define Thailand today.

The volume will be an essential guide for researchers, students, and policymakers specialising in fields such as Southeast Asian studies, comparative politics, international relations, sociology, and human rights, providing a roadmap for navigating the profound contradictions inherent in the contemporary Thai state.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chachavalpongpun, Pavin

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Demokratie
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Enzyklopädien, Nachschlagewerke, Wörterbücher
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Volkswirtschaftslehre Allgemein
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Geographie: Allgemeines, Karten & Atlanten
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I: The History

1. Introduction: A timeless Thailand

2. Thailand in the longue durée

3. Thai historiography

4. Economic development in post-war Thailand

Part II: The Political and Economic Landscape

5. Thailand’s two-faced democracy: from 1932 to the present

6. Thailand’s royalist coups d’état: past and future

7. The military and authoritarian persistence in Thai politics: The development of the hybrid regime

8. Rethinking Thailand’s urban-rural divide

9. Thailand’s authoritarianism in comparative perspective: sophisticated or retrograde?

10. Conflict and contestation on the Royal Thai Army: An alternative army

11. Thailand’s 21st century monarchy

12. Lèse-majesté within Thailand’s failing regime of intimidation

13. Conservative activism in contemporary Thai politics: From yellow shirts to the whistle rebels

14. Thailand’s red shirt movement: Born out of conflict and branded with contestation

15. Thailand’s judiciary: from judicialisation to politicisation?

16. Local government and intergovernmental relations in contemporary Thailand: between central control and local aspirations

17. Thai state formation and the political economy of the middle-income trap

18. Thailand and International trade: A growth engine losing steam?

19. Industrialisation, technological upgrading, and innovation in Thailand

20. Transport and the Thai state

Part III: The Social Development

21. Thai identity and nationalism

22. Buddhism, power, and resistance in Thailand

23. Sangha, state, and secularism in Thailand: mind the age gap?

24. Buddhism, monarchy, and Thai-style democracy

25. Violence, Identity, and Peace Efforts in Southern Thailand: The southern conflict

26. Education in contemporary Thailand

27. Enduring constraints and struggles for democracy and human rights in Thailand since the 2014 military coup d’état

28. Thai queer and trans cultures, communities, and politics: Gender and sexual diversity

29. Thailand and Social Media: A consolidated online society

30. The cycles of protest and the rise and decline of Thailand’s youth movement: a preliminary analysis

31. Thailand’s environmental politics

32. COVID-19 and the impact of Thailand

Part IV: The International Relations

33. Thailand’s foreign policy

34. Thailand’s international quests for status symbols: Arms, aid, arena

35. Thailand and the great powers

36. Thailand’s foreign policy towards neighbouring countries and ASEAN

37. Transnational repression in contemporary Thailand: building capacity to suppress dissent beyond borders

Über Autor(innen)

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is Professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan. He is the chief editor of the online journal Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, in which all articles are translated from English into Japanese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Vietnamese, Burmese, and Khmer.