{"product_id":"sovereign-necropolis-9781501740152","title":"Sovereign Necropolis","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy the 1890s, Siam (Thailand) was the last holdout against European imperialism in Southeast Asia. But the kingdom''s exceptional status came with a substantial caveat: Bangkok, its bustling capital, was a port city that was subject to many of the same legal and fiscal constraints as other colonial treaty ports. \u003ci\u003eSovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e offers new insight into turn-of-the-century Thai history by disinterring the forgotten stories of those who died unnatural deaths during this period and the work of the Siamese state to assert their rights in a pluralistic legal arena.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on a neglected cache of inquest files compiled by the Siamese Ministry of the Capital, official correspondence, and newspaper accounts, Trais Pearson documents the piecemeal introduction of new forms of legal and medical concern for the dead. He reveals that the investigation of unnatural death demanded testimony from diverse strata of society: from the unlettered masses to the king himself. These cases \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePearson has sketched a distinctive legal environment among many others in the colonial world at the turn of the nineteenth century and has shown that the treaty port is the most useful lens through which to compare Siam with other parts of colonial Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e * Journal of the Siam Society\/New Mandala *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e is crisply written, even lively; despite the work's stakes in area studies literature and sociocultural theory, the discussion is accessible for non-subject-matter experts.\u003c\/p\u003e * The Social History of Medicine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrais Pearson's\u003ci\u003e Sovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e is a well-researched historical study that examines the adoption of European legal practices related to postmortem examinations in the context of this political reality. \u003ci\u003eSovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e makes key contributions to Thai history.\u003c\/p\u003e * Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e, by Trais Pearson, is a remarkable, compelling, and engaging study about the politics of death in turn-of-the-twentieth-century Siam. Pearson brilliantly captures throughout the book the ensuing tensions between the Siamese elite and the foreign powers, and documents how those conflicts and negotiations played out in the plural legal arena of civil law and forensic medicine. Brilliantly organized and eloquently written, \u003ci\u003eSovereign Necropolis\u003c\/i\u003e is a notable and original contribution to our understanding of modern Thai history.\u003c\/p\u003e * Asian Journal of Law and Society *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn attempting to reach a broader audience than the Thai or Southeast Asian studies communities, Pearson employs a comparative approach, drawing from a wide range of cases and theories in various imperial and colonial contexts. This is a must-read for those interested in the politics of death and of civilising reforms in Southeast Asia.\u003c\/p\u003e * Journal of Southeast Asian Studies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a book that is full of surprising and intriguing insights into Siam's peculiar semi-colonial status in matters concerning accidental death. It will contribute to the now burgeoning literature on the history of Thai law, and may encourage greater interest in \"death studies\" in Thailand.\u003c\/p\u003e * Pacific Affairs *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePearson presents a compelling study of medico-legal practices and legal subjectivity in an environment characterized by limited sovereignty and transnational flows of expertise, while at the same time giving space to subaltern voices. This book is a noteworthy contribution to studies of medicine, law, society and politics in the colonial and semi-colonial worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e * The British Journal of the History of Science *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e 1. Bad Death\u003cbr\u003e 2. Indemnity and Identity\u003cbr\u003e 3. Treaty Port Tort\u003cbr\u003e 4. Accidental Metaphysics\u003cbr\u003e 5. Morbid Subjects\u003cbr\u003e 6. Incisions and Inscriptions\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e Epilogue: Spirits in a Material World\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50578132959575,"sku":"9781501740152","price":39.6,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781501740152.jpg?v=1746098062","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/sovereign-necropolis-9781501740152","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}