ABSTRACT
This chapter claims that recent political conflicts in Thailand raise questions about the contribution of its civil society to democracy. In justifying the military coup in 2014, numerous Thai civil society actors called for the rejection of representative democracy, replacing politicians with seemingly morally superior people. This rejection of electoral democracy raises the need to revisit both the concepts and practices of civil society and democracy in Thailand. Chua analyzes the role and nature of Thai civil society by tracing its development in the context of the country’s democratization.
