Kevin Hewison - Military, Monarchy and Repression: Assessing Thailands Authoritarian Turn

Thailands politics has been contentious in recent years. With a military coup in 2006 and another in 2014, the country has moved from being a promising electoral democracy to a military dictatorship. Electoral politics was embraced enthusiastically by some groups, including those in rural areas of the north and northeast, but came to be feared by groups variously identified as the old elite, royalists and the establishment. Contentious politics saw large and lengthy street protests and considerable violence. This volume brings together Thailand specialists who examine the background to and the sources of conflict and the turn to authoritarianism. It addresses the return of the military and monarchy to political centre stage, the manner in which sections of civil society and the professional elite have rejected electoral politics and the rise of powerful non-elected bodies such as the Constitutional Court. In assessing Thailands authoritarianism, the book goes beyond actors and networks to explore inequality, anti-election movements, rural transformations and discourses of Thai-style democracy that seek to disenfranchise the majority. The book introduces new concepts to the discussion of Thailands politics: flexible oligarchy, deep state, reign-seeking and monarchised military. It provides a comprehensive assessment and new insights into Thailands politics while also engaging with broader debates on democratic transition and authoritarian persistence. This book was previously published as a special issue of Journal of Contemporary Asia.

Veerayooth Kanchoochat is an Associate Professor of Political Economy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan. He holds an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge. His main research interests are in comparative economic and political development, with a focus on Thailand and newly industrialising economies in East and Southeast Asia.

Kevin Hewison is a Weldon E. Thornton Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Contemporary Asia. He is the author of more than 200 publications on politics, development and labour issues in Thailand and on Southeast Asia.

Military, Monarchy and Repression

Assessing Thailands authoritarian turn

Edited by
Veerayooth Kanchoochat and Kevin Hewison

First published 2017
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ISBN 13: 978-1-138-21565-8

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Veerayooth Kanchoochat and Kevin Hewison

Chris Baker

Pasuk Phongpaichit

Paul Chambers and Napisa Waitoolkiat

Eugnie Mrieau

Prajak Kongkirati

Veerayooth Kanchoochat

Somchai Phatharathananunth

Thorn Pitidol

The chapters in this book were originally published in the Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016). When citing this material, please use the original page numbering for each article, as follows:

Veerayooth Kanchoochat and Kevin Hewison

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 371387

Chris Baker

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 388404

Pasuk Phongpaichit

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 405424

Paul Chambers and Napisa Waitoolkiat

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 425444

Eugnie Mrieau

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 445466

Prajak Kongkirati

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 467485

Veerayooth Kanchoochat

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 486503

Somchai Phatharathananunth

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 504519

Thorn Pitidol

Journal of Contemporary Asia, volume 46, issue 3 (August 2016) pp. 520537

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Chris Baker is an independent scholar, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Paul Chambers is based at the Institute of Southeast Asian Affairs, Faculty of Law, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Kevin Hewison is a Weldon E. Thornton Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Contemporary Asia.

Eugnie Mrieau is a lecturer and researcher at Sciences Po, Paris, France.

Napisa Waitoolkiat is at the College of ASEAN Community Studies, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.

Pasuk Phongpaichit is a Professor at the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Prajak Kongkirati is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand where he is also Director of the Direk Jayanama Research Centre.

Somchai Phatharathananunth is based at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mahasarakham University, Thailand.

Thorn Pitidol is based at the Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Veerayooth Kanchoochat is an Associate Professor of Political Economy at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan.