Political authority and provincial identity in thaildand : the making of Banharn-buri / Yoshinori Nishizaki.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nishizaki, Yoshinori.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Suphan Buri (Thailand : Province)--Politics and government.

Suphan Buri (Thailand : Province).

Banhān Sinlapaʻāchā.

Physical Description:

254 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, New York : Southeast Asia Program, 2011.

Summary:

The powerful Thai politician Banharn Silpa-archa has been disparaged as a corrupt operator who for years channeled excessive state funds into developing his own rural province. This study reinterprets Banharn's career and offers a detailed portrait of the voters who support him. Relying on extensive interviews, the author shows how Banharn's constituents have developed a strong provincial identity based on their pride in his advancement of their province, Suphanburi, which many now call "Banharn-buri" ...the place of Banharn. The analysis challenges simplistic perceptions of rural Thai voters and raises vital questions about contemporary democracy in Thailand. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Rethinking Domination in the Thai Countryside 7

The Dominant Plot in Rural Thai Politics 10

Toward Another Plot 19

Chapter Overview and Sources 29

Chapter 2 Recalling and Representing the Backward Past 33

From (Putative) Glory to Backwardness 33

Taking the "Developmental" State to Task 42

Belittling Suphanburi: Negative Provincial Identity 51

Prelude to Banharn's Emergence 55

Chapter 3 The Rise of a Local Hero 57

Striking it Rich in Bangkok 58

Donation after Donation 62

Restoring Suphanburi's Honor and Glory 71

Tide of Popular Support 75

Coming to Power 79

Chapter 4 Influx of State Development Funds 85

Institutional Setting: The Patrimonial-Democratic State 86

Road Construction 88

School Construction 101

Endorsing the Parochial Provincialist 108

Chapter 5 Local Bureaucrats Disciplined 115

Surveillance over Development Projects 117

The Habitual Compliance of Civil Servants 126

Support for the Fussy Manager 129

Chapter 6 Imagining Banharn-buri at the Grassroots Level 139

Signboards 140

Ceremonies 148

The Image of Banharn-buri 163

Chapter 7 Pride in Imagined Banharn-buri 165

Non-Suphanburians' Admiration and Envy 166

Praising Suphanburi's (Putative) Superiority 170

Development Is in the Eye of the Beholder 177

Chapter 8 Defending the "Bad" Politician 181

Is Banharn Corrupt? 181

Has Banharn Failed to Industrialize Suphanburi and Address Poverty? 187

Feeble Political Opposition 193

The Future of Banharn-buri: Withering Away? 199

Chapter 9 Banharn in Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives 205

Taking Collective Pride Seriously 205

Comparative Cases 213

Concluding Thoughts: "Ignorant Rural Thais" Revisited 231.

ISBN:

0877277532

9780877277538

OCLC:

708219643