New Directions in Thai Studies - by Preedee Hongsaton & Ying-Kit Chan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book considers recent developments in Thai history and historiography, examining why Thai studies had suffered under a combination of protectionism, uncritical learning, and unwillingness to engage with scholarship from abroad. The essays collected here explore, from Thai perspectives, innovations in theory and methodology in Thai studies, gathering critical insights from disciplines such as anthropology and cultural studies. The book may also serve as an entry to Thai studies, informing experts and non-specialist readers alike on topics such as access to Thai archives, the difficulties in conducting ethnographic research with Thai subjects, the (non-)development of scholarly disciplines in Thailand, and the challenges and opportunities presented by Thai studies as a whole for prospective scholars and graduate students.

From the Back Cover

"This pathbreaking collection by newer generations of Thai studies scholars analyses key historical and cultural contexts in modern Thailand, emphasising how the country's modern transformations have been prompted by the challenges presented by imperial and neo-imperial regimes in Southeast Asia."

--Peter A. Jackson, Emeritus Professor, Australian National University

"The days that Thai studies is the business of the Western scholars gazing upon Thailand are over. This volume is evidence of the increasing significance of "home scholars" in Thai studies and the range of how they engage with the dominant views on various issues in English, both radically and otherwise."

--Thongchai Winichakul, Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

This pathbreaking collection analyses pivotal historical contexts and cultural settings in modern Thailand. The analytical frame of postcolonial studies challenges conservative narratives that Siam/Thailand was "never colonised", highlighting how the country's modern transformations have been responses to the challenges presented by imperial and neo-imperial regimes in Southeast Asia. This book brings together many scholars of Thailand whose innovative studies have not previously been available to an international academic audience. This collection showcases the important work that newer generations of researchers are undertaking in Thailand and other Asian countries.

Preedee Hongsaton is a Research Fellow at Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, Sweden. He is currently a member of the collaborative research programme Imperial Expansion and Intercultural Diplomacy: Treaty-making in Southeast Asia, c.1750-1920.

Ying-kit Chan is an Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore. He was formerly a research fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University. His latest book is Southeast Asia in China: Historical Entanglements and Contemporary Engagements (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023).

About the Author

Preedee Hongsaton is a Research Fellow at Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, Sweden. He is currently a member of the collaborative research programme Imperial Expansion and Intercultural Diplomacy: Treaty-making in Southeast Asia, c.1750-1920.

Ying-kit Chan is an Assistant Professor of Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore. He was formerly a research fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden University. His latest book is Southeast Asia in China: Historical Entanglements and Contemporary Engagements (Rowman and Littlefield, 2023).