| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 112.5

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 112.5 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Asia

Tamara Loos. Subject Siam: Family, Law, and Colonial Modernity in Thailand. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press. 2006. Pp. x, 212. $39.95.
In this book Tamara Loos focuses on legal reform, specifically in the area of family law, to support a multifaceted analysis of Siam's situation during the age of imperialism. Using policies pursued in the predominantly Muslim southern provinces as evidence, she demonstrates that while Siam became a quasi-colony of the West, Siam's leaders emulated the techniques of the European imperialists in consolidating Bangkok's control over peripheral areas. Supporting earlier revisionist works by Benedict Anderson and Thongchai Winichakul, she argues that Siam cannot be classified exclusively as colonized or colonizer, because it played both roles simultaneously. Loos further contends that Siam succeeded in finding its own path to modernity, and she challenges the traditional emphasis on the preeminent role of the nation's monarchs by emphasizing the important contributions of other domestic actors and foreign advisers to legal reform.	1
Loos effectively explains the Siamese emulation of British colonial practices in their effort to tighten control over the southern provinces. She mentions episodes of gunboat diplomacy and the fact that Siamese officials dealt with Muslims much as did the British representatives (residents) in Malaya, but she spotlights the decision to establish separate Islamic family courts based on traditional practice in making her case. She also demonstrates how the Siamese government privileged Buddhism, an aspect of Siam's distinctive approach to modernity that contributed to Muslim resentment of Bangkok's dominance.	. . .

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