Myths and Realities: The Democratization of Thai Politics Volume 15 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781920901417)

This study - now in paperback - traces the root of Thailand's current political instability back to the 1990s. It challenges the prevailing view that the nation's democratization process, during the decade, was led by the active middle class. The book argues that the key role played by the middle class was moderation rather than promotion of democracy. The middle class achieved discursive power after the May 1992 incident and prevented the numerical majority of the population - rural residents and urban lower class people - from gaining the hegemony. With competing forces in Thai politics under the microscope, and with a particular focus on 'passive' political actors, Myths and Realities shows that the appeasement of the opponents of democratization is no less crucial than the emergence or empowerment of its proponents. The Japanese original of Myths and Realities won an Ohira Masayoshi Memorial Prize in 2003.

Author: Yoshifumi Tamada
ISBN-10: 1920901418
ISBN-13: 9781920901417
Publisher: Trans Pacific Press
Language: English
Published: 06/01/2009
Pages: 356
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.90d