The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia A New History

• Other Authors: Owen, Norman G. (Editor), Chandler, David (Editor), Roff, William R (Editor), Steinberg, David Joel (Editor), Taylor, Jean Gelman (Editor), Taylor, Robert H. (Editor), Woodside, Alexander (Editor), Wyatt, David K. (Editor)
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: University of Hawai'i Press Honolulu, HI, United States 2005
• Subjects: Southeast Asia
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.
• Physical Description: xxiii, 541 pages illustrations 26 cm
• ISBN: 9780824828905

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.