The Latest Book on Contemporary Thailand is Out!
A new publication on contemporary Thailand is released. Pavin Chachavalpongpun, professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, and founder of 112WATCH, is the editor of this edited volume.
August 25, 2026
This long-awaited second edition of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Thailand offers a comprehensive, authoritative, and multidisciplinary investigation into the complex forces shaping the nation in the 21st century.
New for this edition is an in-depth exploration of the persistent dominance of the monarchy and the military; the systemic “lawfare” used to neutralise democratic challengers; and the emergence of vibrant, youth-led movements demanding fundamental structural reform. Beyond the political arena, the volume maps the intricate landscape of a society in flux: the digital transformation that has fostered both networked activism and sophisticated authoritarian surveillance; the historical roots of the violence in the southern border provinces; and the shift in gender and sexual politics from the margins to the forefront of human rights discourse.
By assembling leading scholars to analyse the country’s turbulent modern trajectory, this volume transcends traditional narratives to provide an incisive examination of the systemic power dynamics, social fissures, and evolving political identities that define Thailand today. The volume will be an essential guide for researchers, students, and policymakers specialising in fields such as Southeast Asian studies, comparative politics, international relations, sociology, and human rights, providing a roadmap for navigating the profound contradictions inherent in the contemporary Thai state.
Certainly in this volume, the issue of Article 112 is discussed widely, but more predominantly in Chapter 12: Lèse-majesté within Thailand’s failing regime of intimidation by David Streckfuss.
See details here: https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Handbook-of-Contemporary-Thailand/Chachavalpongpun/p/book/9781041112860(opens in new tab)
List of chapters:
PART I: The history
1 Introduction: a timeless Thailand
Pavin Chachavalpongpun
2 Thailand in the longue durée
Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit
3 Thai historiography
Charnvit Kasetsiri
4 Economic development in post-war Thailand
Peter Warr
PART II: The political and economic landscape
5 Thailand’s two-faced democracy: from 1932 to the present
Michael K. Connors
6 Thailand’s royalist coups d’état: past and future
Federico Ferrara
7 The military and authoritarian persistence in Thai politics: the development of the hybrid regime
Surachart Bamrungsuk
8 Rethinking Thailand’s urban–rural divide
Napon Jatusripitak
9 Thailand’s authoritarianism in comparative perspective: sophisticated or retrograde?
Greg Raymond
10 Conflict and Contestation in the Royal Thai Police: an alternative army
Paul Chambers
11 Thailand’s 21st-century monarchy
Kevin Hewison
12 Lèse-majesté within Thailand’s failing regime of intimidation
David Streckfuss
13 Conservative activism in contemporary Thai politics: from yellow shirts to the whistle rebels
Aim Sinpeng and Youngjoon Koh
14 Thailand’s red shirt movement: born out of conflict and branded with contestation
Saowanee T. Alexander
15 Thailand’s judiciary: from judicialisation to politicisation?
Björn Dressel and Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang
16 Local government and intergovernmental relations in contemporary Thailand: between central control and local aspirations
Grichawat Lowatcharin
17 Thai state formation and the political economy of the middle-income trap
Apichat Satitniramai
18 Thailand and international trade: a growth engine losing steam?
Krislert Samphantharak
19 Industrialisation, technological upgrading, and innovation in Thailand
Patarapong Intarakumnerd
20 Transport and the Thai state
Saksith Chalermpong and Prasongchai Setthasuravich
PART III: The social development
21 Thai identity and nationalism
Saichol Sattayanurak
22 Buddhism, power, and resistance in Thailand
Edoardo Siani
23 Sangha, state, and secularism in Thailand: mind the age gap?
Tomas Larssonn and Stithorn Thananithichot
24 Buddhism, monarchy, and Thai-style democracy
Suraphot Thaweesak
25 Violence, identity, and peace efforts in Southern Thailand: the southern conflict
Anders Engvall and Magnus Andersson
26 Education in contemporary Thailand
Wannaphong Durongkaveroj
27 Enduring constraints and struggles for democracy and human rights in Thailand since the 2014 military coup d’état
Titipol Phakdeewanich
28 Thai queer and trans cultures, communities, and politics: gender and sexual diversity
Peter Anthony Jackson
29 Thailand and social media: a consolidated online society
Wolfram SchaffarSchaffar
30 The cycles of protest and the rise and decline of Thailand’s youth movement: a preliminary analysis
Somchai Phatharathananunth
31 Thailand’s environmental politics
Eli Elinoff and Vanessa Lamb
32 COVID-19 and the impact on Thailand
Piyapong Boossabong and Pobsook Chamchong
PART IV: The international relations
33 Thailand’s foreign policy
Arne Kislenko
34 Thailand’s international quests for status symbols: arms, aid, and arena
Peera Charoenvattananukul and Wisarut Larsakul
35 Thailand and the great powers
Matthew Phillips
36 Thailand’s foreign policy towards neighbouring countries and ASEAN
Paul Busbarat
37 Transnational repression in contemporary Thailand: building capacity to suppress dissent beyond borders
Mark Cogan
