The Meaning of Parasitism: Social Class, Political Power, and the Ecology of “National Unity”

The only real difference between “development as rhetoric” and pre-modern parasitism is that the former must operate within the context of the modern nation. A traditional, ecological, institutional analysis of primate city-hinterland relationships may well be quite appropriate for describing in very general terms the simple fact that, theoretically, a primate city can be either “parasitic” or “generative.” An important point must be made - one which largely serves to distinguish the present ecological analysis from the majority of traditional ecological analyses of metropolis and region. For a more complete understanding of the changing effect of Bangkok on the Thai nation one must turn to the reformulated ecological/political economic approach. The actual development plans and policies which were implemented in Thailand’s peripheral regions after 1960 must be understood as social control efforts on the part of the challenged decision-makers.