Land and Loyalty

In this excellent book, Tomas Larsson seeks to explain the origins of effective formal property rights to land in Thailand.... His highly original approach to the question is a model of concise, analytically-driven historical research... Land and Loyalty makes an original and stimulating contribution not just to the understanding of land rights in Thailand but to much broader debates over political economy, development, and state formation. It makes a sophisticated set of arguments without sacrificing readability, and it is packed with fascinating historical detail. -- Derek Hall * Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde [Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia] * Is the rhetoric that 'farmers are the backbone of the Thai nation' still relevant today? Larsson offers a nuanced analysis of the emergence of the Thai state very much in conversation with recent critical scholarship examining how and why appeals to such rhetoric continue to legitimize the disparate work and goals of multiple state and non-state actors within Thailand.... While written for a broader political economy of development audience, the detailed archival work and innovative arguments mean that this book should be required reading for scholars with an interest in agrarian history as well as those with interest in the relationships between the Thai state and its backbone.. -- Vanessa Lamb * Journal of Southeast Asian Studies * This book is a valuable addition to the slight literature on land policy in Thailand. The narrative on the making of land policy extends significantly beyond earlier studies and has many new revelations. Larsson points up his arguments by comparisons with parallel cases in Japan, Burma, and the Philippines. -- Chris Baker * Asian-Pacific Economic Literature * This book is well-written, clearly organized, and based on a hefty array of sources, including court and government documents. The nuanced argument is carefully traced throughout the book. The emphasis on perceived security concerns to fend off colonial, capitalist and communist threats is warranted.... I strongly recommend Land and Loyalty to scholars of property rights and state formation. This is a good book to think with. -- Janet C. Sturgeon * Pacific Affairs * With Land and Loyalty: Security and the Development of Property Rights in Thailand, political scientist Tomas Larsson presents an original and provocative study on thehistorical origins of Thailand's property rights regime. -- Keith Barney * Journal of Asian Studies *

Tomas Larsson is Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge.

1. Securitization and Institutional Development 2. Capitalizing Thailand 3. Weapon of a Weak State 4. Conserving Smallholder Society 5. Combating Specters and Communists 6. Old Solutions, New Challenges