The crown and the capitalists: the ethnic Chinese and the founding of the Thai nation (1st edition.)

"Despite competing with much larger imperialist neighbors in Southeast Asia, the Kingdom of Thailand--or Siam, as it was formerly known--has succeeded in transforming itself into a rival modern nation-state over the last two centuries.

Recent historiography has placed progress--or lack thereof--toward Western-style liberal democracy at the center of Thailand's narrative, but that view underestimates the importance of the colonial context.

In particular, a long-standing relationship with China and the existence of a large and important Chinese diaspora within Thailand have shaped development at every stage.

As the emerging nation struggled against colonial forces in Southeast Asia, ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs were neither a colonial force against whom Thainess was identified, nor had they been able to fully assimilate into Thai society.

Wasana Wongsurawat demonstrates that the Kingdom of Thailand's transformation into a modern nation-st