This pioneering insight into Thai pop and streetlife has been totally revised to reflect the dramatic changes in Thailand. Widely praised as one of the best books on Thailand, Very Thai delves beyond the traditional Thai icons to reveal the casual, everyday expressions of Thainess that so delight and puzzle, from floral truck bolts and taxi altars to buffalo cart furniture and drinks in a bags.
New in 2nd Edition Four extra chapters cover the huge shifts in Thailand since the launch of the 1st edition in 2004. The impacts on Thai pop from the Internet, political upheavals and the rise of Asian soft power. The new genre of ‘Vernacular Thai Design’. Changes in contemporary Thainess from the rise of ‘Thai Thai’ retro culture. Afterword by Pracha Suveeranont, a Thai expert in visual culture, about the role of ‘Very Thai’ within Thailand.