A Century of Travel and Geopolitics (On Thai Tourism)
By Pinyapan Potjanalawan
Edited by Varis Likitanusorn
When did the phenomenon of travel truly begin in Thailand? Who dictates the boundaries of your journey? And how is the act of leisure inextricably linked to class hierarchy and the dynamics of power?
A Century of Travel and Geopolitics offers a rigorous historical autopsy of the power relations embedded within Thai tourism. It challenges the conventional narrative of leisure, revealing how the ability to traverse territory and access specific sites is dictated by political authority and social status.
This volume illustrates how travel serves as a profound reflection of political potency. From the traditional rituals of the absolute monarchy to the strategic shifts during the Vietnam War and into the centralized control following the 2006 coup, the book maps the shifting conditions that define what becomes a "destination."
Utilizing a foundation of historical analysis and social history, Potjanalawan explores how state policies—particularly those expanded during the Cold War—laid the foundational infrastructure for today’s global tourism industry. This is a story of how the Thai state utilized the "gaze" of the traveler to construct a national identity and consolidate territorial sovereignty.
// Table of Contents //
Preface
Prologue | Pinyapan Potjanalawan
Post-Pandemic Tourism: The Ruin of the Commoner and the Survival of the Thai Economy
Introduction
Chapter 1: Nirat and Yatra — Travel in the Traditional Era (1780s – 1870s)
Chapter 2: Leisure and Recreation — The Travels of Royalty and the Leisure Class (1880s – 1932)
Chapter 3: The Dawn of the Nation-State — Tourism, Nationalism, and Localism (1932 – 1957)
Chapter 4: War Dividends and the Industrialization of Tourism (1957 – 1979)
Chapter 5: "Travel for Thailand" — The Expansion of Domestic Markets and the Influx of Global Capital (1979 – 2006)
Chapter 6: Conclusion
Details
▪️Format : Paperback
▪️Designed by ● SM STUDIO | Chirawat Rotaim ●
▪️Published : October 2020
▪️Length : 272 pages
▪️ISBN : 978-616-562-013-0
▪️Dimensions (in) : 5.25 x 8.25
▪️Price : 300 THB
