Promotional Information

A challenging analysis of Thai national identity

Table of Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Preface to the Revised Edition

Introduction: National Identity and its Defenders

The Crisis of Siamese Identity

State-Identity Creation, State-Building and Civil Society, 1939-1989

What Makes Central Thai a National Language?

Thai Nationalism and Identity: Popular Themes

The Frontiers of Thailand

Thai Buddhist Identity: Debates on the Traiphum

Thai Identity in the Astrological Tradition

The Case of the Purloined Lintel: The Politics of a Khmer Shrine as a Thai National Treasure

Identity and Authority in Thailand

What is the Thai Village?

Rumours, Foul Calumnies and the Safety of the State: Mass Media and National Identity in Thailand

Thai Identity in the Age of Globalization

Contributors

Index

Reviews

"The papers will long remain indispensable texts for both general readers and specialists. Each paper is a scholarly and original contribution to the burgeoning literature on Thai identity." Journal of Asian Studies "The theme underlying most of the contributions is that the concept of Thai identity, with its disarming ring of transcendence and permanence, has a specific history and conditions of existence... The book is an important contribution to a much needed assessment of the construction of Thai national identity." Journal of Southeast Asian Studies "Contributors discuss the political, socio-linguistic, historical, and cultural implications in the construction of national identity... The book raises interesting questions on the discursive relationship between Thai identity, the state, and nationhood." Asian Studies Review