The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXIV, Part 1-2, 1976 - Khamkoo

412 REVIEWS
The manner of presentation is for a brief outline of the history of
the town, its administrative arrangements and general social organization,
to be followed by the biographies of those finally classed as constituting
the elite. These are followed by comments on the most salient features
as well as by reference to some of the issues which have affected political
life in the town. In the cone! uding chapters the author discusses
comparatively the characteristics of local elites, the relative importance
of wealth, education, friendship etc. and the way in which the various
sectors of local society, the administrative, the religious and the private
business, are related to one another. He also refers in the final chapter
to the problems associated with the development of a responsible and
responsive system of municipal government, a discussion which is limited
by the fact that at the time of research the government had restricted
opportunities for the election of municipal councils.
Concentration on 'the elite' as a category is at the expense of some
important aspects of the context in which elite individuals operate.
What, for instance, of rich Chinese businessmen or bead teachers not
included in the study or of the non-elite support that local leaders can
mobilise? The lack of such information clearly weakens the evaluation
of the necessary conditions for elite status. What does emerge though
is a fragmented but nonetheless fascinating picture of the way in which
individuals formulate policies, attempt to implement them, and on
occasion compete amongst themselves.
In conclusion the strength of the book lies not so much in the
formal analysis of the material, which within the constraints of the
methodology employed appears well conducted, as in the fact that the
data collected is presented in such a way as can be used by others. In
terms of the background it provides, the work is valuable for any who
consider research into non-rural social organization or social differentiation
in Thailand, as well as to those generally interested in learning
something of a regrettably understudied area of Thai society.
Faculty of Social Sciences,
University of Kent at Canterbury
Jeremy H. Kemp