Branding Authoritarian Nations

Political Legitimation and Strategic National Myths in Military-Ruled Thailand

My new book offers a novel approach to the study of nation branding as a strategy for political legitimation in authoritarian regimes using the example of military-ruled Thailand.

The book argues that nation branding is a political act that is integral to state legitimation processes, particularly in the context of authoritarian regimes. It applies its alternative reading of nation branding to eight different sectors: tourism, economy, foreign direct investment, foreign policy, education, culture, public relations, and the private sector.

I explain that nation branding produces specific kinds of applied national myths, referred to as ‘strategic national myths’ and show that nation branding is an inherently inward-looking strategy aimed at shaping the social attitudes and behaviours of the nation’s citizens in line with the government’s domestic agenda and legitimation needs.　

Providing the first comprehensive analysis of nation branding in Thailand and the first book-length account of the country’s political developments since the 2014–2019 military rule, this book is primarily aimed at readers interested in politics, international relations, communication, and area studies as well as business, cultural and intercultural studies.