The moral origin of Thailand's provincial strongman: the case of Banharn Silpa-archa

Author: Nishizaki, Yoshinori

Source: South East Asia Research, Volume 13, Number 2, July 2005 , pp. 184-234(51)

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Abstract:

Scholars uniformly explain the dominance of Thailand's provincial strongmen with reference to unscrupulous instruments of social control (for example, vote buying). The case of Banharn, the unchallenged strongman of Suphanburi, calls for a reappraisal of this explanation. His current domination has a moral origin: a decade before becoming a politician, he had done much for Suphanburi's development and honour, in contradistinction to the unresponsive, negligent and discriminatory central state. These deeds laid a solid foundation for his current legitimate authority. Instead of dismissing Banharn as a dishonest rural boss, we must examine the historical underpinnings of his domination in the context of state-periphery relations.

Keywords: STRONGMAN; DOMINATION; HISTORICAL ORIGIN; STATE; BANHARN; SUPHANBURI

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5367/0000000054604489

Publication date: 2005-07-01

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South East Asia Research publishes articles based on original research or fieldwork on all aspects of South East Asia within the disciplines of archaeology, art history, economics, geography, history, language and literature, law, music, political science, social anthropology and religious studies. This peer-reviewed journal is published four times per year by IP Publishing in cooperation with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). SOAS is the leading centre in this field in Europe and one of the most prestigious centres of South East Asian Studies in the world.
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