Books by Niels Mulder

Thailand is often called the "Land of Smiles", a nickname, which sounds pleasant and mysterious. This is a work on Thai society.

Discloses the public discourse among educated, urban Southeast Asians in Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and considers how these people conceive of their society and its problems and process. This study examines basic patterns of thought, the opinions of public intellectuals, and the assessments of novelists.

Explores how urban Southeast Asians view and manage their social life. By comparing the ways they live with their religious representations, with intimate and more distant others, and with their rapidly changing environment, the author demonstrates the marked similarities in the perception of individual and society in three civilisations.

This is a serious yet entertaining introduction to the public discourse going on in Thai society and the emergence of a particular culture of modernity. Rich in details and comments, this book examines how modern Thais know and debate about their society. In doing so, it signals trends in the evolution of urban Thai public opinion. To assess these, the study opens the treasury of the social studies curriculum, from elementary up to university; the press, and contemporary fiction. These, and purely economic and political interests, shape the diverse positions that engage each other in the current public discourse. Together, they mould the middle-class culture of modernity in Thailand while providing salient insights into the day-to-day practice of Thai politics.