Bangkok is one of Asia's most interesting, varied, controversial and challenging cities. It is a city of contradictions, both in its present and past. This unique book examines the development of the city from its earliest days as the seat of the Thai monarchy to its current position as an infamous contemporary metropolis. Adopting insights from anthropology, urban studies and human geography, this is a powerful account of the city and its dynamic spaces. Marc Askew examines the city's variety from the inner-city slums to the rural-urban fringe, and gives us a keen insight into the daily life of the city's inhabitants, be they middle-class suburbanites or sex workers.
Introduction: Interpreting 'Bangkok' Part 1: Krung to Global City: The Dynamics of Transformation 1. Cosmology, Accumulation and the State 2. The Transformation of Krung Thep 3. The 1990s Part 2: Making Bangkok: Place, Practice and Representation 4. Banglamphu 5. Genealogy of the Slum 6. A Place in the Suburbs 7. Fields of Cultural Capital 8. Condo Land 9. Sex Workers in Bangkok 10. Contesting Urbanisms
Biography
Marc Askew is Lecturer in Asian and International Studies as Victoria University, Melbourne
'Bangkok: Place Practice and Representation is a masterpiece, and is far and away the best profile in English of Bangkok.' - Professional Geographer
'This book is an important milestone in the study of Bangkok' - Journal of Southeast Asian Studies'Very readable book.' - Asian Journal of Social Science
