New Books Network Michael Hurley, "Waterways of Bangkok: Memory, Landscape and Twilight" (NUS Press, 2025)
Feb 1, 2026
Michael Hurley, an independent scholar of Southeast Asian urban waterways, reflects on Bangkok’s Chaophraya River and its role in history and culture. He explores the city’s waterborne traditions, shifting livelihoods as roads replaced canals, and the impacts of flooding, pollution, and memory on urban life. The conversation also traces ethnic communities and hints at a new project on rain and monsoon rituals.
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River As The City's Binding Thread
- The Chaophraya River functions as the binding thread of Thai history, culture, and urban life.
- Michael Hurley frames Bangkok's development and identity through the river's centrality and changing role.
From Truck Driver To River Ethnographer
- Michael Hurley recounts his unlikely path from truck driver to anthropologist and his initial fascination with Thai language and waterways.
- His personal journey shaped the ethnographic focus and long-term fieldwork that produced the book.
Geography And Urban Role Of The River
- The Chaophraya originates in northern tributaries, flows through Ayutthaya, and empties into the Gulf of Thailand.
- Within Bangkok it formed extensive canals, many later filled or paved, but the river still remains a lively transport artery.
