Community-Building among the Bangkok Middle Class

Abstract

While the suburban-dwelling middle classes of Bangkok have been portrayed as essentially individualistic and materialistic, attention to the development of particular housing communities can reveal significant patterns of neighbourhood formation and commitment to localities. This paper will show that such commitment to ‘place’ can be revealed in a high capacity for mobilization and co-operation in efforts to improve the immediate physical and social environment. Such a capacity needs to be interpreted not only in organizational but in cultural terms as well. These cultural meanings are drawn from both common lifestyle patterns and expectations, personal histories, and occupations, as well as more broadly-shared Thai idioms. In this paper the author explores the importance to householders of key cultural defining terms which express their sense of well-being, ecological values, and perceptions of the community's development since their arrival. In the context of South East Asian mega-cities, with limited state capacity to provide urban services and steadily deteriorating environments, recognizing and encouraging the capacity of suburban neighbourhood groups to mobilize and co-operate in culturally meaningful ways to solve problems of mutual concern is crucial.