Kevin Hewison
Biographic Data
| ID | 252907 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kevin Hewison |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kevin |
| FAMILY NAME | Hewison |
| SIGNATURE | HEWISON K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2258-3185 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 99 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 604 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 97 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 2 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1980 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 14 |
My Turbulent Life and 21 Years in the People’s Republic of China: Pridi Banomyong. Singapore: Iseas Publishing, 2026
Thailand’s political leaders have not been great writers of autobiographies. Hence, the publication of Pridi Banomyong’s memoire is welcomed, even if it ultimately disappoints. It first appeared as
Thailand: Contestation, Polarization, and Democratic Regression
Praetorian Kingdom. A History of Military Ascendancy in Thailand: Paul Chambers. Singapore: Iseas Publishing, 2024
Precarious work: A global perspective
Precarious work is universal, though its forms and consequences vary across countries due to institutional, cultural, and historical differences. This article reviews recent research on precarious work from a global perspective, emphasizing the comparative and interdisciplinary research needed for a comprehensive understanding of the structural transformations in contemporary capitalism that promote precarious work. The article has three foci. Fi…
Bruce McFarlane (1936-2022)
Figure 1. Bruce in Adelaide, 1983Photo credit: Chris NylandOn December 11, 2022 former Journal of Contemporary Asia co-editor Bruce McFarlane passed away.Bruce was with the journal from the beginni
A Soldier King. Monarchy and Military in the Thailand of Rama X: By Supalak Ganjanakhundee. Singapore: Iseas Yusof Ishak Institute, 2022
States, Civilisations and the Reset of World Order: Richard Higgott. London: Routledge, 2022
Environmental Movements and Politics of the Asian Anthropocene: Paul Jobin, Ming-sho Ho and Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao (eds). Singapore: Iseas - Yosof Ishak Institute, 2021
The Courteous Power: Japan and Southeast Asia in the Indo-Pacific Era
Peter Limqueco (1939-2022)
Infiltrating Society. The Thai Military's Internal Security Affairs: By Puangthong Pawakapan. Singapore: Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute, 2021
Drums of War, Drums of Development. The Formation of a Pacific Ruling Class and Industrial Transformation in East and Southeast Asia, 1945–1980: Jim Glassman ( Leiden : Brill , 2018 )
This is a magnificent book. It is also daunting, coming in at a mammoth 715 pages, with two challenging theoretical chapters. For determined readers, though, the size and theoretical engagement are
Anand Panyarachun and the Making of Modern Thailand: Dominic Faulder (Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2018)
Towards the end of this mammoth biography of twice unelected Prime Minister of Thailand Anand Panyarachun is quoted as lamenting that biography is not part of Thailand’s literary tradition and, th
Crazy Rich Thais: Thailand's Capitalist Class, 1980-2019
This article provides an account of the upper echelons of Thailand's capitalist class. Based on an analysis of the Forbes data on Thailand's wealthiest for the period 2006–2019, it analyses the 30 families and groups that have dominated these rankings over this period. The article compares how the growth of this group's wealth has outpaced other measures of how Thailand's economy has grown over this period. The article also compares this Forbes-r…
The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory: Mark Pavlick with Caroline Luft (eds) (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2019)
With the USA under President Trump, seemingly intent on a dangerous political confrontation with China, this second edition of The United States, Southeast Asia, and Historical Memory comes at an a
Confronting Corporate Power. Reflections of a United Nations Revolutionary: Frederic F. Clairmont (Pinang: Citizens International, 2019)
Frederic Clairmont’s latest book is an autobiographical account of the trials, tribulations and triumphs of generating progressive scholarship in hostile intellectual and bureaucratic environments
Look right: The conservative elites opposing Thailand’s protesters
Thailand's military-backed government has declared a state of emergency as it experiences unprecedented challenges to its monarchy, which is protected by state repression backed by several draconian laws.On October 14, in the centre of Bangkok, a royal motorcade was enveloped by protesters who hurled insults at its passengers-a situation never seen before.In an earlier rally, on September 20, thousands of protesters marched on the offices of the …
Legacies of the Cold War in East and Southeast Asia: An Introduction
This article introduces the pieces collected in this special issue on the legacies of the Cold War in East and Southeast Asia. Linking to the Journal of Contemporary Asia's 50th Anniversary volume, it examines the origins and conflicts associated with the Cold War in Asia. In this special issue, the authors collectively examine the enduring legacies for the region of US engagements that established a set of politically authoritarian regimes trump…
Years of the Journal of Contemporary Asia
Black Site: The Cold War and the Shaping of Thailand's Politics
The Cold War alliance between the USA and Thailand is well-known and well-documented. Rather than recounting the details of that alliance, this article examines some important political legacies associated with Thailand’s Cold War alliance with the USA, focusing on the period from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. The article examines efforts by the US Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency to establish an anti-communist alliance t…
Alec Gordon (1931-2019)
Alexander David Gordon - always Alec to his colleagues - joined the Journal of Contemporary Asia (JCA) Editorial Board with Issue 1 in 1981. He stayed on the Board until his passing on August 23, 2
Thailand. Shifting Ground between the US and a Rising China Benjamin Zawacki (London: (Zed Books, 2017)
At the beginning of his book Benjamin Zawacki describes himself as an “ex-patriot” (ix). Yet in lamenting the “loss” of Thailand to China, not only is he highly patriotic but writes in a manner rem
Framing Asian Studies. Geopolitics and Institutions
Framing Asian Studies. Geopolitics and Institutions." Journal of Contemporary Asia, 49(1), pp. 176–177
Khaki Capital. The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia
Khaki Capital. The Political Economy of the Military in Southeast Asia." Journal of Contemporary Asia, 49(2), pp. 329–330
Colonizing, Decolonizing, and Globalizing Kolkata. From a Colonial to a Post-Marxist City, Siddhartha Sen ( Amsterdam: (Amsterdam University Press , 2017)
This book is an essentially chronological account of architecture and urban planning and design in Kolkata. Located on the Hooghly River, today it is one of India’s most populous urban agglomeratio
Precarious Work and the Challenge for Asia
This article discusses the social, economic, and political factors that led to the rise and consolidation of precarious work in various countries in Asia. We first define what we mean by "precarious work" and its utility for describing the growth of work that is uncertain and insecure and in which risks are shifted from employers to workers. We then provide an overview of the factors that generated precarious work in industrial nations, notably t…
Transnational Migration and Work in Asia
Migration, especially for work, is a major issue for the twenty-first century.International organizations estimate that there are some 100 million migrant workers, immigrants and members of immigrant families worldwide, with at least seven million of these residing in South and East Asia.Focusing on the issues associated with migrating for work both in and from the Asian region, Transnational Migration and Work in Asia sheds new light on the deba…
A book, the king and the 2006coup
This article involves an assessment of Paul Handley's important book, The King Never Smiles. A Biography of Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej. The article begins with a discussion of the supposed threat the book posed to the monarchy and outlines the attempts to prevent publication. It then outlines Handley's evaluation of the involvement of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's palace in Thailand's modern politics. It uses this approach as a way to examine the …
Introduction: "Thailand and the "good coup
The last time the Journal of Contemporary Asia produced a special issue on Thailand, in 1978 (Volume 8, No. 1), it was a response to the events surrounding the military coup on 6 October 1976. That
Resisting globalization: A study of localism in Thailand
Recent work has suggested that the discontent over perceived negative impacts arising from liberalization and globalization need to be more carefully considered. The critiques emanating from non-governmental organizations and social movements are considered to be amongst the most significant. This paper examines one example of such criticism – localism – that emerged during the economic crisis in Thailand. This example is found to be a variety of…
Crafting Thailand's new social contract
This paper assesses the rise of the Thaksin Shinawatra government in Thailand. It examines this in terms of the social impacts and political ramifications of the Asian economic crisis. It is argued that the economic crisis threatened the economic and political power of domestic capital and smashed the developmental social contract that had underpinned growth since the 1960s. The social and economic policies of Thaksin's government are intimately …
Exploitation in global supply chains: Burmese workers in Mae Sot
Thaksin Shinawatra and the reshaping of Thai politics
Twice elected prime minister of Thailand at the head of his Thai Rak Thai Party, telecommunications magnate Thaksin Shinwatra was controversial in office. Since his government was overthrown by a September 2006 military coup backed by the palace, conservatives, and a broad coalition of opponents, Thaksin has remained at the centre of Thailand's continuing political turmoil. This paper examines his political legacy, both in its positive and negati…
Social movements and political opposition in contemporary Thailand
There is an underlying optimism in much of the literature that considers the emergence of social movements as being associated with deepening processes of democratization. The expansion of civil society is seen to expand political space. This paper takes a critical lens to this perspective, using recent political events in Thailand as a case study of the political strategies and alliances of social movements. We examine the debates that saw many …
Introduction: Understanding Thailand's Politics
Thailand's politics from the mid-2000s has seen considerable conflict and contestation, with seven prime ministers, two military coups, and scores of deaths from political violence. This article, as well as introducing the eight articles in the Special Issue, examines various aspects of this tumultuous period and the authoritarian turn in Thai politics. It does this by examining some of the theoretical and conceptual analysis of Thailand's politi…
Reluctant populists: Learning populism in Thailand
Almost all popular and academic assessments of Thaksin Shinawatra label him a populist, with his time in power characterized by populism. Through an assessment of conceptual accounts of populism and a discussion of Thaksin’s political campaigning and his prime ministership, it is argued that this characterization is inaccurate. While electorally popular, Thaksin’s populism was slow to develop. Thaksin’s emergence as a populist reflected a configu…
Precarious Work and Flexibilization in South and Southeast Asia
This article briefly recapitulates the social, economic, and political factors that led to the rise and consolidation of precarious work in various countries in Asia and the definition of "precarious work." The article then considers the utility of precarious work for describing the growth of work that is uncertain and insecure and in which risks are shifted from employers to workers for several countries in South and Southeast Asia, namely, Indo…
Considerations on inequality and politics in Thailand
In Thailand, economic inequality has long been a fact of life. It is a "general inequality of condition" that can be seen to influence all aspects of social, economic, and political life. Yet inequality has not always been associated with political activism. Following the 2006 military coup, however, there has been a deliberate and politicized linking of inequality and politics. The article explores a complex of political events – elections, coup…
Constitutions, Regimes and Power in Thailand
Constitutions are both a site of social and political conflict and a means to structure and limit political participation. This article emphasizes the contested nature of constitutions and constitutionalism to explain how and why modes of participation have been affected. It maintains that constitutions are themselves punctuated by struggle over the kinds of participation that are promoted, tolerated, and suppressed. There is good reason for a fo…
Black Site: The Cold War and the Shaping of Thailand's Politics
The Cold War alliance between the USA and Thailand is well-known and well-documented. Rather than recounting the details of that alliance, this article examines some important political legacies associated with Thailand’s Cold War alliance with the USA, focusing on the period from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. The article examines efforts by the US Department of State and the Central Intelligence Agency to establish an anti-communist alliance t…
Crazy Rich Thais: Thailand's Capitalist Class, 1980-2019
This article provides an account of the upper echelons of Thailand's capitalist class. Based on an analysis of the Forbes data on Thailand's wealthiest for the period 2006–2019, it analyses the 30 families and groups that have dominated these rankings over this period. The article compares how the growth of this group's wealth has outpaced other measures of how Thailand's economy has grown over this period. The article also compares this Forbes-r…
Thai migrant workers in Hong Kong
The study of migrant workers in Hong Kong has given attention to Filipinas. There has been just one published study of Thais in Hong Kong, despite the fact that they are a significant minority, and about half of them are domestic workers. This article presents the results of a survey of Thai workers, assessing a range of issues: scale of migration for work, remittances, roles and aspirations in Hong Kong, and perceptions of work. The survey indic…
Thailand: Contestation Over Elections, Sovereignty and Representation
Thailand's politics in the early twenty-first century has seen considerable contestation. Underlying the street protests, military interventions and considerable bloodshed has been a struggle over the nature of electoral politics, popular sovereignty and representation. The military and monarchy have maintained a royalist alliance that opposes elections, popular sovereignty and civilian politicians, proposing Thai-style democracy as an alternativ…
Economics is the Deciding Factor: Labour Politics in Thaksin's Thailand
The landslide electoral victory of Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party in February 2005 means that the most powerful elements of big domestic capital will continue to manage the affairs of the Thai state. In this article, we focus on the relationship between this capitalist state and the politics of labour, with considerable emphasis on the organized elements of the working class. We argue that the TRT, during its first term in o…
Nongovernmental organizations and the cultural development perspective in Thailand: A comment on Rigg (1991)
The financial bourgeoisie in Thailand
In recent years, and especially since the bloody 1976 coup, there have been a number of studies published which have attempted to delineate the class structure of Thai society in the contemporary period. While these works have justifiably emphasized the role of imperialist nations (the US particularly) in shaping Thai social structure, it seems to me that such a focus has tended to minimize the power and independence of the local bourgeoisie. We …
Precarious work: A global perspective
Precarious work is universal, though its forms and consequences vary across countries due to institutional, cultural, and historical differences. This article reviews recent research on precarious work from a global perspective, emphasizing the comparative and interdisciplinary research needed for a comprehensive understanding of the structural transformations in contemporary capitalism that promote precarious work. The article has three foci. Fi…
Legacies of the Cold War in East and Southeast Asia: An Introduction
This article introduces the pieces collected in this special issue on the legacies of the Cold War in East and Southeast Asia. Linking to the Journal of Contemporary Asia's 50th Anniversary volume, it examines the origins and conflicts associated with the Cold War in Asia. In this special issue, the authors collectively examine the enduring legacies for the region of US engagements that established a set of politically authoritarian regimes trump…
Thailand: An old relationship renewed
The relationship between Thailand and China has been both long and complicated, with periods of conflict associated with, for example, the cold war. In recent years, and especially following the Asian Economic Crisis, there has been a blossoming of the relationship, built on careful diplomacy, a renewal of interest in ethnicity and expanding business dealings and rising bilateral investment. In the contemporary period, the relationship has reache…
Labour and unions in an industrialising Thailand
Additional informationNotes on contributorsKevin Hewison Kevin Hewison is from the Department of Asian Languages and Societies, University of New England, Armidale, Australia. Andrew Brown is in the School of Social Sciences at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Both are members of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University. This paper draws extensively on the previously published works of the two authors. These are: Hewison (1985; 1987; 1…
The political economy of Siam, 1851-1932
The financial bourgeoisie in Thailand
In recent years, and especially since the bloody 1976 coup, there have been a number of studies published which have attempted to delineate the class structure of Thai society in the contemporary period. While these works have justifiably emphasized the role of imperialist nations (the US particularly) in shaping Thai social structure, it seems to me that such a focus has tended to minimize the power and independence of the local bourgeoisie. We …
Political conflict in Thailand. Reform, reaction, revolution by David Morell and Chai-anan Samudavanija. Cambridge: Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain, 1981
(1983). Political conflict in Thailand. Reform, reaction, revolution by David Morell and Chai-anan Samudavanija. Cambridge: Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain, 1981. Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars: Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 56-59
Papua New Guinea in 1984: Consensus Crumbles
Research Article| February 01 1985 Papua New Guinea in 1984: Consensus Crumbles Kevin Hewison Kevin Hewison Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Far Eastern Survey (1956) 25 (2): 249–256. https://doi.org/10.2307/2644309 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citat…
Capital in the Thai countryside: The sugar industry
1986). Capital in the Thai countryside: The sugar industry. Journal of Contemporary Asia: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 3-17
The State and Capitalist Development in Thailand
Marxist discussions of the role of the state in capitalist development in the Third World have indicated that the state and local bourgeois classes can cooperate to enhance domestic capitalism, often in competition with international capital. This research has suggested that dependency theorists have, by their focus on imperialism, tended to obscure the total process of class formation and reproduction and the continuing accumulation of capital i…
The Structure of Banking Capital in Thailand
Industry prior to industrialisation: Thailand
Southeast Asia in the 1980s: The Politics of Economic Crisis
Southeast Asia in the 1980s: The Politics of Economic Crisis
Documents on Pol Pot's Kampuchea
David P. Chandler, Ben Kiernan, and Chanthou Boua. Editors and Translators. Pol Pot Plans the Future: Confidential Leadership Documents from Democratic Kampuchea, 1976–1977. Monograph Series No. 33. New Haven: Yale University Southeast Asia Studies, Yale Center for International and Area Studies, 1988. Pp. xviii, 346. Tables, map, photograph
Bankers and Bureaucrats: Capital and the Role of the State in Thailand
Southeast Asia
Liberal corporatism and the return of pluralism in Thai political studies
Anek Laothamatas. Business Associations and the New Political Economy of Thailand: From Bureaucratic Polity to Liberal Corporatism. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1992, and Boulder: Westview Press, 1992. Published in cooperation with the East Asian Institute, Columbia University. Pp. xiii, 202. Contents, list of tables and chart, note on currency, preface, references, index. S$42.00/US$28.00, paper; S$63.00/US$39.00, hardcover
Thailand: On becoming a NIC
Communication
Southeast Asia in the 1990s: Authoritarianism, democracy and capitalism
AcknowledgmentsContributors1 Introduction: Changing forms of state power in Southeast Asia2 Political power in industrialising capitalist societies: Theoretical approaches3 Indonesia: Tensions in state and regime4 Preserving the one-party state in contemporary Singapore5 Rentier capitalism in Negara Brunei Darussalam6 Malaysia: Neither authoritarian nor democratic7 Of regimes, state and pluralities: Thai politics enters the 1990s8 Class and state…
Nongovernmental organizations and the cultural development perspective in Thailand: A comment on Rigg (1991)
Labour and unions in an industrialising Thailand
Additional informationNotes on contributorsKevin Hewison Kevin Hewison is from the Department of Asian Languages and Societies, University of New England, Armidale, Australia. Andrew Brown is in the School of Social Sciences at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Both are members of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University. This paper draws extensively on the previously published works of the two authors. These are: Hewison (1985; 1987; 1…
Thailand's Turn: Profile of a New Dragon
The Fifth Tiger: A Study of Thai Development Policy
Regions and National Integration in Thailand 1892-1992
Growth and Democracy in Southeast Asia
Political space in Southeast Asia: Asian‐style’ and other democracies
Southeast Asia exhibits a remarkable range of political forms. This study examines the resiliency of Southeast Asian struggles to expand political space and replace authoritarianism with more representative political regimes. Following an introduction examining these struggles during the colonial and post‐colonial periods, attention is given to the notion of 'Asian‐style' democracy. It is suggested that this terminology represents a rejection of …
The Political Economy of South-East Asia: An Introduction
Political science (86 works) · Law (59 works) · Southeast Asian Sociopolitical Studies (59 works) · Politics (53 works) · Economics (46 works) · Sociology (45 works) · Law (44 works) · Political economy (39 works) · Asian Studies and History (32 works) · History (31 works)