Suchergebnisse

Explores the process of democratization in Thailand from the overthrow of the monarchist state in the 1930s to the present day and examines this development institutionally and ideologically through key issues.

By twinning the ideational and political logic approaches to populism, this article offers an original interpretation of the Redshirt movement in Thailand. The article extensively uses pro-Thaksin media sources and booklets to demonstrate how the Redshirt movement in Thailand appropriated the formerly authoritarian Thaksin as an empty signifier. This article fills a significant gap by exploring how ideational elements of the Redshirt movement fostered the emergence of a populist subject that struggled for a liberal constitutional re-foundation of Thai politics. (JCSA/GIGA)

This revised and updated edition of the widely praised Democracy and National Identity in Thailand provides readers with a fascinating discussion of how debates about democracy and national identity in Thailand have evolved from the period of counter-insurgency in the 1960s to the current (post-coup) period. Focusing on state- and civil society-centred democratic projects, Connors uses original Thai language sources to trace how the Thai state developed a democratic ideology that meshed with idealized notions of Thai identity, focusing on the monarchy. The book moves on to explore how non-state actors have mobilized notions of democracy and national identity in their battle against authoritarian rule. A new chapter explores the fate of the democratic project under the Thaksin regime. Using an approach applicable to the study of other democratizing societies, Democracy and National Identity in Thailand invites readers to explore democratic ideology as a form of power aimed at creating ideal citizens able to support elite national projects.