Red Journeys: Inside the Thai red-shirt movement

Red Journeys is a first‐hand account of the emergence and expansion of the red‐shirt protests in Bangkok that took place in 2010. It traces the origins of the protest, focusing on the unique voices, stories, and motives of those who participated in the movement.

Sopranzetti vividly depicts daily life in the heart of the movement and when the peaceful occupation descended into violence and neared its tragic end, he describes the final moments of the protest as the red shirts faced the force of the Thai military.

Styled engagingly between ethnography and daily blog, Red Journeys offers an unprecedented analysis of the biggest social movement in Thailand to date and highlights the discrepancies between the “official” media portrayal of the protest and the reality on the ground.

What others are saying

“The forty days between April 10 and May 20, 2010, changed Thailand forever. History will look back and try to make sense of the tragedy, and its meaning to Thai history will remain controversial for decades to come. Beyond history’s verdict, the bravery, sacrifice, suffering, and determination of the protesters will forever be remembered. Claudio Sopranzetti has recorded the human component so vividly that we can hear the voices and cries of the people and can imagine their lives in those moments. This is as important as any verdict of history.”—Thongchai Winichakul, University of Wisconsin

Highlights

Documents the author's first-hand experience inside the protest
Traces the protest movement as it progressed day‐by‐day
Explores the individual stories of the people who composed the redshirt movement
Successfully combines academic analysis with a personal, journal style

About the Author

Claudio Sopranzetti is currently completing his PhD at the Department of Anthropology at Harvard University.

Reviews

Burning resentments (Bangkok Post, 14 May 2012)
Review of Red Journey: Inside the Thai red-shirt movement by Porphant Ouyyanont (Journal of Contemporary Asia, 22 November 2012, 1-3 pp.)