From Silt to Shit: The Past and Present of Post-Natural Bangkok

Abstract

Using the Anthropocene as a guiding proposition, this essay offers a critical historical geography of post-natural Bangkok, and an equally critical assessment of present-day gentrification. One of the most interesting aspects of the recent literature on the Anthropocene is its geological approach to nature and culture. I borrow the notion of layer to convey the idea that contemporary Bangkok is the product of a process of material layering that may be traced back to the early nineteenth century. Contemporary Bangkok is here represented by Centenary Park, a green space under construction in the city center that is being marketed as a “great gift” to society. In line with my approach, I make an interpretive, critical analysis of Centenary Park and its immediate surroundings. The park is part of a next-generation, open-air shopping district, including upscale apartments, known as Lifestyle Center and Community Mall. Finally, I provide a critique of the concept of “hybridity” as a valid approach to both Thai modernity and the Anthropocene.