Thak Chaloemtiarana
Retired Professor, Graduate School
Thak Chaloemtiarana retired from the Department of Asian Studies and as director of the Southeast Asia Program in 2010. He retains appointments in the Graduate School in the fields of Asian literature, religion and culture, and Asian studies. He continues to serve on graduate student committees and teaches the Thailand country seminar with Tamara Loos. He was associate dean and director of admissions for the College of Arts and Sciences from 1985 to 1998.
Before returning to Cornell in 1981, he was associate professor of political science at Thammasat University and briefly served as the deputy spokesman of the Thai government.
Although trained as a political scientist, he added the study of modern Thai literature to his teaching and writing. His current projects include the assessment of Thai-American literature and its impact on Thai identity, research on prototypes of modern Thai crime fiction, and a postcolonial analysis of the racing world of Prince Bira.
Key Networks: Thammasat University, Royal Thai Government, Occidental College, University of the Philippines, the Center for Khmer Studies, Porsche Club, and Sports Car Club
Topics of Interest: Authoritarianism and democratization in post-1932 Thai politics, role of modern Thai literature in the construction of identity, colonialism and modernity, the Sino-Thai, and gender issues.