The intimate economies of Bangkok : tomboys, tycoons, and Avon ladies in the global city / Ara Wilson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wilson, Ara.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sex role--Thailand--Bangkok.

Sex role.

Capitalism--Social aspects--Thailand--Bangkok.

Capitalism.

Globalization.

Women--Thailand--Social conditions.

Women.

Economic conditions.

Capitalism--Social aspects.

Thailand.

Social conditions.

Women--Thailand--Economic conditions.

Thailand--Bangkok.

Physical Description:

xvi, 272 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, [2004]

Summary:

Bangkok has been at the frontier of capitalism's drive into Asia for three decades. Rapid development has profoundly altered public and private life in Thailand. In her provocative study of contemporary commerce in Bangkok, Ara Wilson captures the intimate effects of the global economy in this vibrant city. The Intimate Economies of Bangkok is a multifaceted portrait of the intertwining of identities, relationships, and economics during Bangkok's boom years. Using innovative case studies of women's and men's participation in a range of modern markets -- department stores, go-go bars, a popular downtown mall, a telecommunications company, and the direct sales corporations Amway and Avon -- Wilson chronicles the powerful expansion of capitalist exchange into further reaches of Thai society.

Contents:

Introduction: Intimate Economies 1

1. From Shophouse to Department Store 29

2. The Economies of Intimacy in the Go-Go Bar 68

3. MBK: The Retail Revolution and the Infrastructure of Romance 102

4. The Flexible Citizens of IBC Cable TV 133

5. The Avon Lady, the Amway Plan, and the Making of Thai Entrepreneurs 163

Conclusion: The Intimacy of Capitalism 189.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-261) and index.

ISBN:

0520237838

0520239687

OCLC:

52412062