Bangkok is one of Asia's most interesting, varied, controversial and challenging cities. It is a city of contradictions, both in its present and its past. This volume examines the development of the city from its earliest days as the seat of the Thai monarchy to its current position as an infamous contemporary metropolis. This in-depth study of each of the city's many facets adopts insights from the cultural history, urban studies and human geography. Marc Askew examines the city's variety, from inner-city slums to be rural-urban fringe and gives us a keen insight into the daily life if the...

Bangkok is one of Asia's most interesting, varied, controversial and challenging cities. It is a city of contradictions, both in its present and its past. This volume examines the development of the city from its earliest days as the seat of the Thai monarchy to its current position as an infamous contemporary metropolis. This in-depth study of each of the city's many facets adopts insights from the cultural history, urban studies and human geography. Marc Askew examines the city's variety, from inner-city slums to be rural-urban fringe and gives us a keen insight into the daily life if the...