Tracks and Traces: Thailand and the Work of Andrew Turton (ICAS Publications Series) - Softcover

"Anthropologist Andrew Turton has had a remarkable influence on the study of Thailand's society and politics over several decades. In this collection, the historians, anthropologists and geographers of later generations demonstrate how Turton's observations, analysis and political concerns remain germane for the ongoing analysis of Thailand's social political and economic transformations. Not only do they show the continuing relevance of Turton's work and ideas, but they traverse a broad landscape of the key contemporary scholarly concerns and questions in the field of Thai studies. This important book is theoretically engaged, grounded in contemporary issues and reflective of a critical approach to Thai studies that demands the attention of the current generation of scholars."[-]--Kevin Hewison, University of North Carolina.[-][-]"Since the 1970s, Andrew Turton has been recognised as a pioneer in the anthropology and history of Thailand. His work has excited younger and established scholars alike. This collection takes Turton's extensive scholarship as a lens to evaluate a wide range of issues in Thai studies. It shows admirably how one scholar's influence transcends a generation, helping understand the present through the past."[-]--Thongchai Winichakul, Professor of Southeast Asian History, University of Wisconsin[-][-]"This important book is theoretically engaged, grounded in contemporary issues and reflective of a critical approach to Thai studies that demands the attention of the current generation of scholars."[-]--Kevin Hewison, Professor of Asian Studies, University of North Carolina[-]

Tracks and Traces: Thailand and the Work of Andrew Turton traces the threads that tie together an understanding of Thailand as a dynamic and rapidly changing society, through an examination of the work of one major scholar of the country, Andrew Turton. Turton's anthropological studies of Thailand cover a wide spectrum from politics and economy to ritual and culture, and have been crucial in shaping evolving understandings of Thai society. In this collection, ten leading specialists on Thailand from a variety of disciplines critically consider aspects of Turton's work in relation to the changing nature of different aspects of Thai society. The book tracks the links between past and present scholarship, examines the contextuality of scholarship in its times, and sheds light on the current situation in Thailand.