Thai Politics in Translation: Monarchy, Democracy and the Supra-constitution
Michael K. Connors and Ukrist Pathmanand (eds)
NIAS: 2021
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Considering the ongoing upheavals in Thai politics these days, it is hard to imagine a more timely publication than Thai Politics in Translation: Monarchy, Democracy and the Supra-constitution. The editors appear to have envisioned this collection as a retrospective analysis of the end of an era in Thai politics—the introductory chapter is titled ‘Debating the Bhumibol Era’. King Bhumibol’s reign was longer than that of any other monarch in the ruling Chakri dynasty to date, engulfing the entire Cold War period and the quarter of a century that followed. It was also an era that was clearly dominated by the conservatives. To begin to understand Thai politics during this period, it is crucial to first understand Thai conservatism, the zeitgeist of the Bhumibol era.

Establishing an understanding of Thai conservatism of the Cold War and post-Cold War periods appears to be the objective of Thai Politics in Translation. In this collection the editors have brought together essays that provide a comprehensive foundation of Thai conservatism during the Bhumibol era, which came to a close with the king’s death on 13 October 2016. Six of the seven essays were originally written and published in Thai and, until now, had never been published in English. This is significant, as many of the concepts fundamental to understanding Thai conservatism in this era—including Thai-style democracy, democracy with the monarch as the head of state, royal power, the supra-constitution and judicialisation—have been elaborated mostly only in the Thai language. This makes it difficult for non-readers of Thai to trace the origins and developments of these concepts, which have become part of the common narrative of Thai conservatism in the 2020s. Having these fundamental works of Thai political thought translated into English is one of the book’s most important contributions.

• Tags: Issue 25, Michael K. Connors, Thailand, Ukrist Pathmanand, Wasana Wongsurawat