Field Theory, Capitals, and the Development and Marketing of Condominiums in Bangkok

Abstract:Over the last two decades there has been a proliferation of high-rise building around mass transit stations in Bangkok, Thailand. But there is a lack of empirical research on how these new landscapes have been and are being shaped. This paper thus seeks to understand this further by exploring the interplay between the various stakeholders involved in these developments. By drawing on Bourdieu’s notions of ‘fields’ and ‘capitals’, I conceptualize the condominium market in Bangkok as a hierarchical social space in which agents operate and compete. Interviews with the property-development stakeholders reveal that the private sector is dominant in structuring space at the expense of the state, and it maintains this dominance by deploying a variety of capital. Developers’ practices can be seen as dynamic in nature as they adapt to the differing demands and realities of the specific contexts in which they operate.