The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia: A New History

by David Chandler (Editor), William R. Roff, David Joel Steinberg

The modern states of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and East Timor were once a tapestry of kingdoms, colonies, and smaller polities linked by sporadic trade and occasional war. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the United States and several European powers had come to control almost the entire region―only to depart dramatically in the decades following World War II.

The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia offers a new and up-to-date perspective on this complex region. Although it does not neglect nation-building (the central theme of its popular and long-lived predecessor, In Search of Southeast Asia), the present work focuses on economic and social history, gender, and ecology. It describes the long-term impact of global forces on the region and traces the spread and interplay of capitalism, nationalism, and socialism. It acknowledges that modernization has produced substantial gains in such areas as life expectancy and education but has also spread dislocation and misery.

Organizationally, the book shifts between thematic chapters that describe social, economic, and cultural change, and "country" chapters emphasizing developments within specific areas. Enhanced by scores of illustrations, The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia will establish a new standard for the history of this dynamic and radically transformed region of the world.

David Chandler, Norman G. Owen, William R. Roff, David Joel Steinberg, Jean Gelman Taylor, Robert H. Taylor, Alexander Woodside, David K. Wyatt.

Genres: History, Asia, Nonfiction

568 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jindřich Zapletal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bird's eye economic history of Southeast Asia from 18th century to 2000. Military, cultural, or political histories are limited to bare minimum, and the authors clearly assume that the reader is familiar with them.

I loved the integrative approach of the book, which allowed me to see the whole region in a unified perspective for the first time. There are references to many important industrial or agricultural projects which I missed previously for whatever reason, and I had a great time with my search engine as a result. One should not underestimate how dense the book's prose actually is; a single sentence can unwrap into whole social movements and complex technological developments. Bibliographies attached to each chapter are very useful.

For an American reader, the book may be worthwhile to keep just for the two first paragraphs on page 455. At least in my copy, nobody whited them out. An Indian friend of mine says that in the US, censorship of this type does not exist because no one reads anything in the first place. It is also useful to ponder on the tragic, horrible continuation of those two thunderous paragraphs reaching beyond the time horizon of the book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-written and highly interesting account of SE Asia from the 1700's to the present day, providing a good look at colonization, de-colonization, the effects of communism, the creation of the modern borders and nation names as well as the building of national identities, and the many experiments with self-government. The sections that deal with separate countries are much more interesting than the overview chapters that deal with overarching changes. Also, if I was to read this again, I might read it in a different order: the chapters on each country are organized by time period, so you read about Siam, Burma, Cambodia, etc. during the 1700's-1800's, then Siam, Burma, Cambodia etc. after the 1800's... you get the picture. There is so much overlap between countries that reading it the way it was written is interesting, but it makes it more difficult to keep track of all the developments in each country unless you read very quickly. If I read it again, I might read all the chapters on one country, then all the chapters on the next country, etc. especially since there are SO MANY changes in governments and borders and leaders.


It is very sad how difficult it has been for all of these countries to try and find stable, effective forms of self-government. Very few have had any measure of success, and there has been much suffering and wars as a result. It was very interesting to me how people went about trying to build national identities, and what they based them around and how they chose (or were given) their borders. It becomes clear that some governments are barely better than anarchy, and some might be even worse than anarchy. The failed experiments with communism in several countries were enlightening, and the economic struggles of SE Asia show the many, many problems with trying to see development as a linear process. There were many failed governments, of course, not just communist ones, but it was quite clear that communist philosophy appears to be better suited for planning and fighting revolutions, and doesn't work quite as well for organizing actual life in peacetime. The idiotic idealism was astounding- especially in Cambodia where everyone in the cities was given 24 hours to walk away from their lives and properties and become farmers. No one considered that this might create problems? Obviously they did, as the government acted in secrecy under an assumed name...boy, when a government is too ashamed to even admit who they are, you have real problems.

I should say, in a side-note, how desperately ashamed I am of the inconsistency with which America has chosen its allies over the years. Really proud of our political stability, but really ashamed of how we've used our power in most cases. Though it appears we were right about communism, just not about how to fight it.

[Isabella Habig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sprawling account of a region of the world that, while important, receives very little attention. Being, more or less, an introductory textbook, I would say that it does its job well. Having really only known about Burma, it is nice to learn about its neighbors and the similarities and differences between the countries in regards to “lived” experiences. While the writing can at times be dry, it should be expected. While I read it cover to cover, I would not blame someone for choosing select chapters that best suit their research interests.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely thorough. A great reference book for those wanting a starting point to spring off of into other national histories.

[isa lim · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting and valuable. but the last second on contemporary politics brushes over the atrocities commited under US-friendly dictators (Marcos, Suharto). I think it's main flaw is the way it sees economics and politics as disconnected and it's honestly massive bias

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

i think that it could have been organized better in terms of interweaving historical patterns and developments, but i did enjoy the detail.

[Reid Landay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wowza that sure was a textbook

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a bit longer to read this than I wanted it to, but it is a pretty big text book after all. It was slow, but also very interesting, and definitely helped with my education on Indonesia and the region.