Royal Capitalism: Wealth, Class, and Monarchy in Thailand (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780299326005)

Thanks to its active role in national politics, the market economy, and popular culture, the Thai crown remains both the country's dominant institution and one of the world's wealthiest monarchies. Puangchon Unchanam examines the reign of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej or Rama IX (1946-2016) and how the crown thrived by transforming itself into a distinctly "bourgeois" monarchy that co-opted middle-class values of hard work, frugality, and self-sufficiency.
The kingdom positioned itself to connect business elites, patronize local industries, and form strategic partnerships with global corporations. Instead of restraining or regulating royal power, white-collar workers joined with the crown to form a dynamic, symbiotic force that has left the lower classes to struggle in their wake. Unchanam presents a surprising case study that kings and queens live long and large in cooperation with the bourgeoisie's interests and ideology.

Author: Puangchon Unchanam
ISBN-10: 0299326004
ISBN-13: 9780299326005
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Language: English
Published: 01/14/2020
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.32lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 04/01/2021