Benjamin Batson
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Batson was an American mathematician and historian who studied 20th century Thai history. He spent almost his entire professional life in Southeast Asia
.
in 1942. Batson earned a bachelor's degree
in mathematics in 1963 at Harvard University
- where he was elected to membership of Phi Beta Kappa. He briefly returned Tennessee to work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
. He then moved to Thailand, teaching mathematics at Chulalongkorn University
from 1964-66. After completing a master's degree
under Walter Vella at the University of Hawaii
in 1968, he returned to Thailand to teach mathematics at Chiang Mai University
in the north of the country. He received grants from the East-West Center, NDFL Act (Title IV), the Ford Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. While there he developed an interest in Thai history.
, where his thesis on the end of Thailand
's absolute monarchy
and transition to a constitutional monarchy
was supervised by David K. Wyatt
. While at Cornell Batson attracted the attention of Walter LaFeber
, the eminent historian of American foreign policy, whom he served under as a teaching assistant. Sifting through neglected files at the National Archives in Bangkok, Batson uncovered a long lost collection of papers in which the concept of democracy in Thailand was debated between the seventh Bangkok king and his ministers and advisers. He translated a selection of these and published them as Siam's Political Future: Documents from the End of the Absolute Monarchy in 1974. He was a research fellow at the Australian National University
in the late 1970s, during which time he revised his dissertation for publication as The End of the Absolute Monarchy in Siam by the Oxford University Press
in 1984. He wrote a work on the Thai literary figure and political activist, Kulap Saipradit
. He also began studying Japanese-Thai relations with Shimizu Hajime inspired Southeast Asia under Japanese Occupation and The Tragedy of Wanit: A Japanese Account of Wartime Thai Politics in 1980 and 1990, respectively.
Batson's last published piece, published in the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
, in March 1996, discussed Phra Sarasas, a figure who positioned himself as power-broker between the Japan
ese and Thai governments during the leadup to World War II
.
Batson died unexpectedly of heart disease
in Singapore
on Sunday, January 7, 1996 at the age of 53.
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Biography
Batson was born in TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in 1942. Batson earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in mathematics in 1963 at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
- where he was elected to membership of Phi Beta Kappa. He briefly returned Tennessee to work at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
. He then moved to Thailand, teaching mathematics at Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
from 1964-66. After completing a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
under Walter Vella at the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
in 1968, he returned to Thailand to teach mathematics at Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University
Chiang Mai University is a public research university in northern Thailand founded in 1964 with a strong emphasis on engineering, science, and agriculture. Its instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional and continuing education offered through resident instruction...
in the north of the country. He received grants from the East-West Center, NDFL Act (Title IV), the Ford Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. While there he developed an interest in Thai history.
History career and publications
In 1969 he entered the Southeast Asia Program graduate program at Cornell UniversityCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, where his thesis on the end of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
's absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
and transition to a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
was supervised by David K. Wyatt
David K. Wyatt
David K. Wyatt was an American historian and author who studied Thailand. He taught at Cornell University from 1969-2002, where he became the Chair of the Cornell University Department of History. His book Thailand: A Short History has become the chief authority on Thai history in the English...
. While at Cornell Batson attracted the attention of Walter LaFeber
Walter LaFeber
Walter LaFeber was a Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow in the Department of History at Cornell University...
, the eminent historian of American foreign policy, whom he served under as a teaching assistant. Sifting through neglected files at the National Archives in Bangkok, Batson uncovered a long lost collection of papers in which the concept of democracy in Thailand was debated between the seventh Bangkok king and his ministers and advisers. He translated a selection of these and published them as Siam's Political Future: Documents from the End of the Absolute Monarchy in 1974. He was a research fellow at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
in the late 1970s, during which time he revised his dissertation for publication as The End of the Absolute Monarchy in Siam by the Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
in 1984. He wrote a work on the Thai literary figure and political activist, Kulap Saipradit
Kulap Saipradit
Kulap Saipradit was a newspaper editor and one of the foremost Thai novelists of his time. He was a vocal activist for human rights and because of this, he ran afoul of the authorities and was jailed for more than four years...
. He also began studying Japanese-Thai relations with Shimizu Hajime inspired Southeast Asia under Japanese Occupation and The Tragedy of Wanit: A Japanese Account of Wartime Thai Politics in 1980 and 1990, respectively.
Batson's last published piece, published in the Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
The Journal of Southeast Asian Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering scholarly studies on Southeast Asia . It publishes articles from a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences...
, in March 1996, discussed Phra Sarasas, a figure who positioned himself as power-broker between the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese and Thai governments during the leadup to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Batson died unexpectedly of heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on Sunday, January 7, 1996 at the age of 53.