Over the next day New Mandala is being upgraded and some features will likely be unavailable for short periods of time. We appreciate your patience as we endeavour to create a better reader and commentator experience. If you have any specific issues with the site in the days ahead please e-mail me at the usual place. There will be plenty of noticeable changes as the upgrade is completed.
Review of Ideal ManNew Mandala book review editor Michael Montesano reviews this new work on a key figure in Southeast Asian history.
Read More
Review of MisallianceKeith Weller Taylor argues that this new book is thoughtful, lucid, original, analytical, and readable
Read More
Review of Thailand’s Hidden WorkforceInga Gruß reviews a book about the work conditions of Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand at this time of immense change.
Read More
Review of Gender, Emotions and Labour MarketsSri Ranjani Mei Hua reviews a book dealing with experiences of women in Southeast Asia.
Read More
Review of Authority of InfluenceScholarly treatments of gender in Myanmar, past or present, remain scarce. Jessica Harriden’s book thus fills a gap in our understanding of an important and controversial topic.
Read More
Review of The King in ExileDonald M. Seekins argues that this book is the story of a dynasty that belongs truly to Burma’s past.
Read More
Review of Buddhist FuryThis book explores the relationship between religion and violence in far southern Thailand, where Buddhist monks are a marginalized local minority.
Read More
Review of Revisiting Rural PlacesRevisiting Rural Places should become an essential reference text for researchers who work on social, cultural, political and economic change in Asia.
Read More
Review of The Institutional ImperativeDe-agrarianisation often isn’t very pretty, but economic disparity may well be the price to be paid for pursuing it as slowly as Thailand has over the past 50 years.
Read More
Review of Imagining Gay ParadiseThe creation of make-shift, idiosyncratic queer paradises provides shelter, community, and belonging for many who have refused to fit into standard narratives of Southeast Asia.
Read More
Review of The Fate of Rural HellThe models of eroticism and faith in the Hell Garden have been left behind by the robust urban bourgeois consumerist culture increasingly prominent across contemporary Thai society.
Read More
Review of Revolution InterruptedQuestioning received notions of revolution, this book offers a passionate and rigorous reconsideration of the period in Thailand between October 1973 and October 1976.
Read More
Review of Land and LoyaltyRead More
Review of The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magical MonkRead More
Review of Saying the UnsayableRead More
I like the new theme, much better than the old one. Like an academic journal from the 80s with lots of dust on top. Perfect!
Quality comment or not?
2 
2
A brown homepage? Who was the ‘artiste’ responsible for this less than aesthetically pleasing ‘upgrade’? The old look far superior in this regard. Distinctive. This unimaginative initiative seems almost bureaucratic. But I fully understand the the need to put a good deal of content on the first screen for the benefit of the reader. Keep up the good work.
Quality comment or not?
0 
0
Congratulations on the excellent up-grade. Does make it considerably easier to navigate around these, in many cases, very complicated issues.
Quality comment or not?
1 
2
Looking good gents.
Quality comment or not?
2 
3
The new layout is nice.
What do you call that color? Not so sure I like that.
Quality comment or not?
4 
1
A brown homepage? On the aesthetic level at least, this aspect of the ‘upgrade’ has about as much style and panache as a middle-aged public servants’ Hush Puppies. The old site by contrast was very distinctive, though perhaps a little unwieldy. I fully understand your wish to improve on the original and present users with many more readily accessible choices on a single page. Still something has been lost in the transition. Superficially, it looks like just another run-of-the mill cluttered website. Having said that keep up the great work and good luck.
Quality comment or not?
16 
0
Nothing wrong with Hush Puppies Kean. Nevertheless, will be experimenting with the header!
Quality comment or not?
5 
1
I agree. It feels cluttered. And less distinctive from other sites. It’s more difficult to find the newest postings now.
The only new feature that I found positive was the grouping of posting by country.
It’s a pity, because New Mandala is very useful. Now it will be less pleasurable to read – more a duty than a pleasure.
Quality comment or not?
7 
0
Can’t say that I like color and font (although I am an elderly academic with hush puppies on his feet when outside). especially the brown hurts my eyes…
Quality comment or not?
7 
0
Can’t say I think appearance in a blog is a big thing anyway – maybe 10%. It seems to me that the content and moderation practices are much more important because New Mandala has already gone the way of poorly managed forums everywhere, it became ‘clubby’ some time ago, which is usually a sign of the onset of decline which managers will attempt to reverse by – say – revamping the appearance..
The management ought to pay at least as much attention to content and moderation practices as they did to trivial layout issues because both are in need of professional attention, and this is not trivial. In my opinion.
Quality comment or not?
6 
3
Thanks Ane. Can you give us some examples that illustrate your concerns? AW
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
As I was saying when rudely rebuffed by “You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.”
Sorry, Andrew. Missing the distinctive old look. What’s with the colour, or rather the lack of it? And pictures? Call me a child, though I’m just another old fogey who doesn’t incidentally wear Hush Puppies, I liked them in the masthead and the rest.
No preview either? Very helpful that was too, getting a chance to edit typos, html links etc. unless I am posting them in too much of a hurry.
Quality comment or not?
7 
0
I think it’s fine, except for the toffee, which I’m sure youre addressing! I do miss the distinctive and colourful signature mastheads of the previous site; can we have them back? Back in the day you also used to highlight the odd quirky aspect of SE Asia – not necessarily political. These seemed to have dropped off in recent times; more’s the pity. Your passion for NM is as evident as ever. Great work, Nick and Andrew.
Quality comment or not?
6 
0
Unusable. “You are posting too quickly’ every time, posts not appearing. Just about every time.
Unusable. hardly an improvement even before noting the obvious New Mandala management issues someone else rightly referred to.
Sorry to say that in my book, it’s a pretty major foot shot. NM has bigger problem than the colour of the masthead, it might have been better to address those first.
Quality comment or not?
4 
1
Thanks Simon. Can you, or someone else, describe the comment posting problem for me. I have tried to replicate it but cannot. And keen to get some detail on the management problems you are referring to. Always keen to find ways to improve.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
hi Andrew.
The posting problem has been described by me, someone else and a colleague who gets it 100% of the time. A blank page with the notification ‘You are posting too quickly. Slow down’, followed by the disappearance of the comment down what is presumably a black hole or the ‘moderators oblivion’.
As to the management issues, you already know what they are – with respect, it’s not my job to explain it to you, you already exist within and apply those practices so you know perfectly well what they are for good or ill. If you really were always keen to find ways to improve, then you wouldn’t need me to tell you how. Personally, I don’t that smug asides solely for the consumption of others really do very much constructive but it’s up to you..
It’s a forlorn strategy to disspipate justified critique by interminably asking for clarifications and details. This strategy means that all the effort by well-meaning contributors goes into providing what you never really wanted in the first place, thereby avoiding further critique at the same time as avoiding the need to address the issues yourself. Sorry, I’m not playing, I was playing those self-same games when I was just out of uni myself, when I thought they were ever so clever.
My comments are merely observations, up to you whether or not you take them seriously, I have seen many blogs come and go and I understand the psychology of those who run them pretty well. One more demise won’t be more than a ripple on the water and the contributors will {be driven to} find alternative pastures to canter around in so it won’t matter to them. Or me, I’m just trying to help.
Have a nice day.
Quality comment or not?
5 
6
Simon:
“what you never really wanted in the first place”
I am not AW (and thus don’t know what’s on his mind), and I might be a bit dumb (and therefore not worthy of a response), but I still imagine myself as being able to grasp the meaning of a simple explanation. So, could you perhaps be kind enough and explain the above sentence in terms simple enough for me to digest?
Sorry to bother you on a Sunday.
Quality comment or not?
4 
0
A small practical problem seems to be that, sometimes, one posts a comment that will not be shown but remain as “awaiting moderation,” while subsequent comments in the same thread are posted and listed already.
Quality comment or not?
1 
0
Certainly, brief and one-time only because ultimately you are probably not in a position to make changes so there seems little point in discussing what changes I believe are necessary.
The moderation of New Mandala has, I believe, evidenced a considerable bias in favour of ‘club members’, which have led to differing standards of moderation. In essence, whether a post is accepted or rejected has from time to time depended not upon the content but upon who posted it. And yes, I have had several posts never see the light of day without explanation, even though they were as on-topic, polite and relevant as others in the thread. This is not a problem unique to me, there are numerous others who have experienced the same bias and either left or done what is required (which invariably means paying obeisance to existing members and especially the management) and become ‘members of the club’ in their turn. Its a very widespread internet forum and probably has a lot to do with the type of people forming the bulk of the posters. Pick your internet cliche.
Forums which have more than a single tier of contributors, where some are favoured more than others or where some receive more latitude than others are doomed and all go the same way. Maybe it’s just a misplaced sense of professionalism on my part, but in my view, forums are more useful where moderation has a light touch, where explanations are given for rejected posts, and where the forum managers try harder to avoid giving the impression they regard themselves as having impunity and disregard for the plebs who actually make it all work.
Jaundiced? I would argue not. Harsh? Maybe, but since the forum is already in decline (content quality and post numbers) and since the management have decided to try and perk it up a bit with a face-lift anyway, it seems an appropriate time to express an opinion. A focus on appearance rather than substance is a particular Thai personality problem so perhaps its only fitting.
I’m not really up for debate about it, these are my opinions, if you don’t happen to share them, its up to you, good luck – you say tomahto, I say tomayto. I’m not obliged to adopt someone else’s opinion any more than you are mine. Maybe this won’t even get posted, which would rather prove the pudding…
Like I said, brief, and one-time only. Take it or leave it – oh, and you weren’t bothering me at all, if its productive then it’s worth the candle.
Quality comment or not?
4 
7
Rather bemused by your sweeping statement A focus on appearance rather than substance is a particular Thai personality problem. All the more so as I thought this was run by the ANU dons if you’ll forgive my ignorance.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
It was an ironic comment, many people believe that Thais are limited by their focus on appearance rather than substance, and it seemed ironic that in this case that the ‘dons’ who run New Mandala have in my view fallen prey to the same weakness. Infection by proximity perhaps? But I was half-joking as all irony is half-joking.
I really shouldn’t have to explain this surely?
Quality comment or not?
5 
1
internet forum should have been internet problem.
Quality comment or not?
1 
1
Sorry to cast a cloud over the general congratulations. For me the the whole thing is a disaster.
It was convenient to be able to read the whole article and then all the comments on the same page. Now it’s a question of of clicking here and clicking there.
It’s a real turn-off.
Quality comment or not?
10 
0
Chris, if you click on the article it appears, together with comments, all on the same page. Just like before!
Quality comment or not?
1 
1
AM: Not so, I’m afraid. When you click on the article you get some of the comments. For others you have to click onto a stated page number. It’s inconvenient, to say the least.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
The masthead looks cheap and lacks any design. The movement on Trending Posts is distracting. The theme color is the color of an infant’s feces.
But I come here for good free content and mostly intelligent discussion, which remain. So it’s cool.
Quality comment or not?
5 
0
Updated comment, though original never made it up
My original comment was Ugly.
UPDATE: Overly Busy and Ugly.
Khii Maa color is depressing. Especially contrasted to nice photos at top of the old page. “Trending Posts” (dubiously raising a six year old post) is a useless distraction, especially with “Popular Posts” just below. And below that we have Recent Posts. You could add “Most Hated posts” just to add more clutter. Sorry but presume you want honesty from longtime readers.
Quality comment or not?
9 
0
Two suggestions:
(1) The font choice(s)are wrong.
(2) Try ‘Yellow’ for color . . . but will that offend.
Quality comment or not?
0 
1
I think that the central section on the main page is too narrow. Would it also be possible to have clearer boundary demarcations between the central section and the side-sections? Or perhaps the font could be made smaller for the side-sections so that they do not have such prominence?
Quality comment or not?
9 
0
Must say I’m not overly excited about the changes. The new color theme is not very exciting – color of an infant’s feces, as aptly put by previous commentator. The site feels cramped and overly busy. The constant movement of Trending Posts and Popular Posts is annoying, quite frankly. And why those are higher on the page than recent posts is a mystery to me. In fact, I find it difficult to find the recent posts, in chronological order, since Featured Stories is not an ordering of most recent posts in chronological sequence. I appreciate the layout of Book Reviews – why can’t same be done for Recent Posts and made more prominent on the page? Like others, I miss the extended preview of a post’s content.
I do appreciate that you can zero in more easily on posts by country now. But can’t say I feel the experience has been improved.
Quality comment or not?
6 
0
Some comments (seconding a few by others):
1) Middle section is too narrow
2) Would prefer “Recent posts” at the top of the left column, ABOVE “trending” and “popular”. I like to do a quick scan of what’s new (and see them in reverse chron order). Don’t care what’s “trending”. (How are “trending” and “popular” determined anyway?)
A good proxy for “trending” and “popular” is “recent comments”, which is more informative.
I do like that the “recent posts” box is longer than before.
3) I miss the randomly changing widescreen photos at the top.
4) Miss the comment preview box. Also, the comments box is too narrow (you have room to widen it; you’re not using all the middle column’s width).
5) The “infant feces” color is awful.
6) The Georgia font was nicer than this sterile Arial.
Nevertheless, you still have a remarkably excellent site, whatever it looks like.
Quality comment or not?
6 
0
Stop moaning, folks.
Such a radically new design just takes time to get used to. In some ways – the new design looks actually more professional, is very easy to navigate, and at least on my computer loads much quicker than the old system.
Quality comment or not?
3 
11
Common, Nick — if this was merely just moaning and a matter of getting used to (one gets used to everything, even things that are intensely unpleasant), why would NM even bother inviting its readers to provide feedback? Or is the opening for feedback just a case of fake participation?
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
“(one gets used to everything, even things that are intensely unpleasant)”
… such as marriage…
Every time a publication changes design, it takes time to get used to new fonts, color schemes, and changed placing of old features, and just the change itself looks at first disturbing, until, after a while, people get used to this, and the same starts all over again when the design is changed again.
We are but creatures of habit.
There is no perfect design or layout. I found, after an initial bewilderment, the new design of NM somewhat better, more readable, and easier to navigate. And i think it loads quicker.
Anyhow, the color scheme seems to be altered now. I find the new main color of the header attractive. But i find the sienna/mahogany brown not too bad either. But that’s just me.
Quality comment or not?
0 
3
Thanks everyone,
We are, as some have noted, continuing to roll out a range of changes to NM. Colours change, layouts change: all part of a new testing regimen. Any and all suggestions for improvement are being taken on board. Behind the scenes the new NM is running on a very different computer system: it’s faster, more robust, and all the rest. Over time we hope that these changes will lead to a much better user experience. Please keep the comments and suggestions coming.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
Quality comment or not?
8 
2
To keep the comments and suggestions coming is easier said than done, Nich. I despaired after having been thwarted three times last night, and again this morning by “You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down”. Damned if I know how.
Can’t help thinking if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. The cynic would think is this a so called efficiency drive? The affliction Simon referred to above I would have thought is postmodern and universal gone viral already what with this globalisation lark. Fourth time lucky?!
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
I tend to read through an RSS aggregator so I’ve only just seen the new colour scheme. Yikes! What happened there? Perhaps you/your designer might like to have a look at http://kuler.adobe.com for some ideas on more appropriate colour combinations. Otherwise, great content as always.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
Bad colour.
Previous banner and “Random Pictures” were interesting and though provoking.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
Panels that scroll or flash from one subject to another have evolved because of their ability to distract readers’ attention. They are advertising tools that have no place on web pages that are meant to inform.
Quality comment or not?
5 
0
Nothing wrong in using the tool I guess so long as it’s used to advertise more information here. Depends how and for what purpose you harness it like most inventions and innovations.
Quality comment or not?
0 
0
I have to agree with a lot of the other posters: I’m not keen on the poo-brown background colour at all. Red might be appropriate for NM? Anything but yellow – or poo-brown.
Also, I can’t find the “Craig’s Reviews” anywhere. For an academic blog on mainland SEA / Thai Studies I think reviews of significant academic works in the field should be prominently displayed on the homepage.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
Hi Patrick, we have a block for the reviews below the “featured stories” block. I have just adjusted it to list the most recent 15 reviews (instead of 10 as before). We agree that these reviews are a key feature of the site and one of the advantages of the new template is that we can highlight them in an accessible way.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
Any chance of an ‘interviews’ section? Some of the most interesting things I have read on this site are Nich’s wonderful interviews with scholars
Quality comment or not?
4 
0
Second the motion. Liked them one and all.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
Thanks for the feedback on the interviews. It is, long-time readers may appreciate, now five years since the first major NM interview series. Watch this space for some further developments. Back in 2007, this one here was the first in the series.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
To me, the masthead is a lot more attractive now.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
Couldn’t agree more. Loving it.
Quality comment or not?
0 
0
Very pleased to see the return of the quirky culturally informative visuals that have always made this site sanuk kha.
AM
Quality comment or not?
5 
0
We are hoping that the “you are posting to quickly” glitch has been resolved. Please let us know if any of you encounter this problem again.
Quality comment or not?
0 
0
It might be pure chance, but it seems to me that the interesting content and comments have all but disappeared since your ‘upgrade’.
Personally, I find that the new layout is a turn-off; possibly others have found the same.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0
I doubt the degradation is due to the cosmetics, cosmetics rarely have a great effect on the posters, check out Prachatai for example, cosmetically awful but there are… oh, sorry, bad example.
Its the cosmetics for sure….
Quality comment or not?
1 
0
Chrisb & Annie, do you think New Mandala has become “professionalised”? Perhaps it might be worth remembering Nich, Andrew and Greg are all fairly busy people and that this is crunch time of the second semester in most Australian universities. Having been responsible for some of the fun (nonsense) on this site over the years, I can say with some certainty that the edge of the editors has not been lost due to a new theme. Be patient…
Quality comment or not?
3 
1
“Chrisb & Annie, do you think New Mandala has become “professionalised”?
I don’t, no. I believe it has become humdrum – over qhite a long time, which may or may not be the same thing.
‘Professionalising’ a blog means stopping moderation policies which reject perfectly reasonable though non-compliant posts, non-compliance meaning saying something which the moderators don’t happen to like, don’t happen to agree with or which chellenge their omnipotence. It means a better quality of article, it means encouraging better discussion. New Mandala has done no of these things in the several years I have been watching.
Perhaps it might be worth remembering Nich, Andrew and Greg are all fairly busy people and that this is crunch time of the second semester in most Australian universities.
I understand but I have no sympathy. if they’re too busy to do the job properly then they should find someone else to do. Easy really. I can’t paste wallpaper, so I learned its better to get someone else to do it. I don’t have time to write my book, so I’m getting a ghost writer to do it and will probably get a better job for doing so. Excuses don’t cut it, if they can’t take the heat of their voluntary obligations…
Having been responsible for some of the fun (nonsense) on this site over the years, I can say with some certainty that the edge of the editors has not been lost due to a new theme. Be patient…”
Well, that’s your opinion. It isn’t mine, though I think the search for a new ‘theme’ was probably prompted by an observed decline not the other way around. Putting lipstick on a pig doth not make the pig a sexy animal.
The popularity of blogs and forums on the internet is decreasing markedly, and the same reasons usually apply. I have said before that when a forum becomes clubby, moderation policies are applied with reference to the moderators personal likes and dislikes, and when the quality of contributions declines, the forum is all but dead in the water and closure becomes inevitable. In my view NM has been clubby for a while, has existed principally to boost the egos or academic CV’s of the moderators instead of achieving any constructive objective, and has suffered from a paucity of *high quality* academic articles. These, combined with a willingness to apply moderation policies based on who is posting rather than what is posted – usually based on whether or not the poster is a part of ‘the club’.
“Be patient…”
Why? Cake later is never a good motivation for action or inaction now. It is what it is.
Its my opinion, based on my observation and experience. Its as valid as any other opinion and more valid than opinions based on warm and cuddly feelings which are usually based on people feeling comfortable secure – being a part of the flock.
I expect this post not to make it to the forum, and if it is then the flock will doubtless rush to give multitudinous ‘thumbs-down’. All that’s fine of course, it just makes my point for me.
Love,
Annie
Quality comment or not?
3 
1
Annie, instead of using all of that effort to go and do some photojournalism as a Nick Nostitz 2.0, you decided to write drivel in the cake crumbs mashed into your keyboard. You are the only one to blame for this sorry state of affairs. Go have a shower.
Quality comment or not?
3 
0
chrisb, I have been quietly thinking exactly the same thing. This place needs a post to fire things up a little.
Quality comment or not?
1 
1
Hey Colum – you’re missing the point my friend. If embittered expats can’t bag new mandala then what else is there for us to do? Who cares if Farelly and his ivory tower mates are busy – here in Thailand we have plenty of time on our hands and a good supply of chips on our shoulders. We need an outlet! We need to be able to come here regularly and complain about how boring it has become. We need to be able to predict NM’s imminent demise on an ongoing basis. And we need regular coverage of our complaints about being censored. That’s why we hate new mandala – its perfect for us. Red thumb for you I’m afraid.
Quality comment or not?
5 
1
Hi Embittered Expat.
I think an anthropological study of New Mandala users in Thailand would make for an excellent post, and may even get things fired up. How about it?
Quality comment or not?
1 
0
I think an anthropological study of New Mandala users everywhere would be instructive. I predict it would show that they are the same as forum contributors everywhere. No more no less.
The irony of Embittered Expat notwithstanding, if a forum is going astray then it is incumbent upon contributors to say so, whether Messrs Farrelly and the other bloke like it or not.
New Mandala with no contributors is no good to anyone. New Mandala with a club of fanboi’s is also no good to anyone, it just appears to be all warm and fuzzy in the short term.
Trust me (or not) there are no free rides in life and the task for a good forum of staying in business is tough enough these days, the not-so-good forums generally go to the wall. And university forums that rely on outside readers rather than just nimrod students generally do badly anyway because the whole university ethos and life-style has little to do with the real world. Seen it all before.
Love
Annie
Annie
Quality comment or not?
4 
3
Annie,
New Mandala is a Mandala, it can never go astray. It is ubiquitous, bigger and more kaleidoscopic than all of us. You form part of it. Maybe your spluttering is the Mandala’s immune system playing up…. It’s okay Mandala, it’s okay. We shall make offerings to the oracle for your well-being.
Quality comment or not?
6 
0
“I expect this post not to make it to the forum, and if it is then the flock will doubtless rush to give multitudinous ‘thumbs-down’. All that’s fine of course, it just makes my point for me.” >> Isn’t this too cheap a trick, even for the low standards “Annie” thought she/he could manage to reach?
Quality comment or not?
1 
1
“Isn’t this too cheap a trick, even for the low standards “Annie” thought she/he could manage to reach?”
I dont agree with everything that Annie says, but why do you say this? And why the ad-hominem? That would be against NM policy would it not?
Addressing the point not the person is better netiquette and the mark of a thinking person.
Anecdotal
Quality comment or not?
0 
11
“I dont agree with everything that Annie says”????? But you are Annie!
Quality comment or not?
12 
0
hehe. A classic ‘out’. Who said this forum is losing it’s lustre? Thanks for coming, Annie.
Quality comment or not?
2 
0