Books published by Silkworm Books / Trasvin Publications LP

Analyzes the polarized structure of Islamic institutions in Malaysia, arguing that it is important for those in power to understand the broad outlines of the objectives of shariah before trying to move on to specifics.

Polygamy emerged as a political issue in Indonesia following the 1998 reformation that ushered in a period of social change. This study identifies the dynamics and causes that have contributed to the increasingly complex debate on polygamy in Indonesia among women's rights activists, state elites, religious leaders, and supporters of shariah.

Brings together studies of the decentralization of natural resource management in seven South and Southeast Asian countries. This book provides an explanation of the key concepts and debates in decentralization relevant to the management of forests, fisheries, and water in the region.

Thai politics often seem wild. This book features commentary on twelve years of change in Thailand's politics, society, culture, and environment. It features a kaleidoscope of the political and social jungle that is Thailand.

The Shan are the largest of the many national ethnic groups residing in the Union of Myanmar. This work traces the cultural and political history of the Shan people from their origins, to Myanmar independence, and up to the constitutional crisis of 1962. It highlights particularly the political affairs of the Shan state from 1946 to 1962.

An anthropological account of the multi-level dynamics that underlie the continuing electoral dominance of the Democrat Party in southern Thailand, a conspicuous anomaly in Thailand's political landscape. It includes a study of candidates, support groups, and election campaigns in the province of Songkhla in the eventful years 2004 and 2005.

In Indonesia, since the coming of Islam, zakat has been a means of worship, and its collection has been voluntary and decentralized. This work argues that in the post-New Order regime zakat practice changed structurally and institutionally through the enactment of a law on zakat management, followed by the establishment of a national zakat agency.

Considers the communal relations and properties of newly emerging or transforming communities, associations, and networks: the "imagined family" in shaping the modern Thai nation-state, the Asoke community of a new Buddhist movement, a Karen millenarian Buddhist community on the Thai-Myanmar border, and female factory workers in Lamphun.

M R Nimitmongkol Navarat is one of the tragic figures of modern Thai literature. As a political prisoner in the late 1930s, Nimitmongkol wrote "The Dreams of an Idealist", which was seized by prison guards. This volume also includes his short drama, "The Emerald's Cleavage", written in English in the late 1930s.

Hui Muslims in China have lived with the Han Chinese for hundreds of years, maintaining their Islamic and cultural identity despite the powerful assimilation mechanisms of Chinese society. Today the urban Hui community is confronted with new pressures. This book examines the traditional social structure and kinship network of urban Hui Muslims.

Introduces readers to the worshippers and the cult of Tran Hung Dao, the legendary fourteenth-century hero and saviour of Vietnam who has evolved as a key symbol of the nation as well as an efficacious deity in its spiritual pantheon.

Examines the pressures on the Mieu of North Vietnam, where the Tay and the Kinh peoples are dominant, as they adjust to this non-Mieu world, by considering the relations between the Mieu and the Tay, the Kinh, and the central state.

A review of the politics and discourses of water use, sharing, and management, and their implications for local livelihoods. This book analyzes contested discourses on such topics as regional hydropower development, floods, and irrigation, along with the broader yet interrelated issues of gender, media, dialogue, and impact assessment.

Explores the economic, environmental, and health benefits, as well as harmful consequences, of pesticide use in Thailand and Southeast Asia. This book includes descriptions of pests and the pesticides used to control them. It gives several perspectives on questions of safety, cost, and benefit for the environment, economy, and public health.

Examines the dynamics of Islamic discourse on sexuality and young Thai Muslims' interactions with modern urban Thai culture. This work illustrates young Thai Muslims' struggles to reconcile their traditional religious beliefs with the surrounding manifestations of modernization, globalization, consumerism, changing sexual mores, and gay rights.

Gijsbert Heeck (1619-1669) was a medicinal specialist with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). His journal is based on the daily notes he made during his third trip to the East. This volume carries the selections from his journal that deal with Siam, accompanied by the original Dutch text.

Gives insight into the various aspects of stress, and shows how we can develop skilful ways to deal with stress and prevent burnout and other stress-related complaints. This book examines the various forms of stress we experience at work and in our private lives, giving particular attention to the causes of stress.

Explores the development of Mongolia's state religion, from its formation in the thirteenth century around the time of Chinggis Qaan (Genghis Khan) until its demise in the twentieth century under the Soviet Union.

Indonesia's 1998 reformation movement spawned numerous organizations aimed at either establishing an Islamic state or applying Islamic law. This book focuses on one such movement, Front Pembela Islam (FPI). It presents the biography of Habib Muhammad Rizieq Syihab, one of FPI's founding fathers and its head.

Examines the challenges faced by young Muslim female athletes from Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia in competitive sports. This book focuses on social dynamics, and the emergence of Muslim women competing on international level. It captures the athletes' experiences and perspectives as they compete under rules that conflict with Islamic practice.

Analyzes the systematic construction of the image of the Other (that is, non-Muslims) by two radical Islamic Groups. This book documents discourse patterns in the groups' publications and speeches stereotyping non-Muslims as hostile towards Islam and imagining Islam's imminent victory after an inevitable clash with all other civilizations.

A collection of black-and-white photographs that celebrates the construction of the new Bangkok airport. It features full-page photographs by the on-sight architect that portray the unexpected beauty of repeating patterns of steel, glass, and concrete combining to create a work of art in progress.

Presents analysis of Thai national identity. This title includes a chapter reflecting on the way older concepts of Thai identity were transformed by the economic boom and subsequent financial crisis in 1997.

This text presents a translation of a Lahu creation myth, intended to be accessible for a more general readership. The myth, "Creating Heaven, Creating Earth", was initially recorded by the Chinese scholar Liu Huihao in Yunnan.

An useful linguistic reference on the developments in form and usage of the various Shan scripts.

Presents a selection of Lao folktales that have entertained the Lao people for generations. This book features the legendary trickster Xieng Mieng, a quick-witted toad that terrifies tigers, a turtle that flies, a cadre of snails that race a rabbit, and a mynah bird that speaks five languages. It reflects a Buddhist culture in a Marxist state.

Thailand is usually closely associated with Buddhism, but since 1998, the country has been one of the observer members of the Islamic Conference Organization. This book examines the origins of Islam in the kingdom of Siam, Muslim integration into the Thai nation, and the effects of globalization and modernity on a traditional and rural community.

Presents a collection of what a curious visitor might want to know about Thai customs and beliefs, explained by a long-time English resident of Thailand. This book, compiled from a series of articles published in a weekly column in the 1970s, intends to demystify constructs like the system of royal ranks and the Thai musical scale, and more.