Duncan Mc Cargo - Writings On Thailand

Writings On Thailand

McCargo's PhD thesis, "The political leadership of Major-General Chamlong Srimuang" was published in a revised form as a 1997 book (which is currently being translated into Thai). Since then McCargo has published several other books on Thailand. These include: Politics and the Press in Thailand (2000), a fieldwork-based study for which he spent a year embedded in the editorial rooms of several leading Thai language newspapers; Reforming Thai Politics (2002) an edited volume which has beocme the standard work on the political reform process of the 1990s, containing chapters by a range of leading Thai and foreign scholars and activists; and The Thaksinization of Thailand, a ground-breaking 2005 analysis of the politics surrounding controversial former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, co-authored with the revisionist political economist Ukrist Pathamanand.

Apart from his ten books – all of which have appeared in paperback – McCargo has published a large number of articles in journals including Critical Asian Studies, Journal of Asian Studies, Journal of Democracy and New Left Review. His writings regarding the "network monarchy", a term he coined to describe King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his proxies, particularly former Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanond, have been especially influential among Thai academics. This was the only journal article selected by Foreign Affairs for their 7-item essential reading list on Thai politics.

Other articles deal critically with issues such as constitutionalism, the politics surrounding Buddhism, and the role of the military; he was extremely critical of the 2006 military coup in Thailand. McCargo has consistently challenged mainstream assumptions in Thai studies and beyond, questioning the value of narrowly discipline-based perspectives in favour of more eclectic and empirically-grounded approaches.