Porranee Singpliam
Chulalongkorn University Press, 2026
About the book: This book explores the transformation of phet (sex/gender) in contemporary Thailand and argues that sex/gender issues are fundamentally political, deeply embedded within the structures of neoliberal Thai society.
Through a genealogy of phet, the book traces how understandings of sex and gender emerged through elite projects shaped by imperial encounters, raising enduring questions about diversity, eroticism, and belonging in the public sphere. It further conceptualizes phet as a systematic structure intertwined with political and economic forces, particularly neoliberal logics that shape everyday life and social relations. Finally, the book examines how phet is continually contested and transformed through political processes, media representations, and struggles over citizenship, revealing the dynamic relationship between gender, power, and social change in Thailand.
About the author: Porranee Singpliam was a HYI Visiting Scholar from 2024-25.