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The Emergence Of Modern Southeast Asia: A New History | 
 enlarge | Creators: Norman G. Owen, David Chandler, William R. Roff
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Category: Book
List Price: $29.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 55808
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 541
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.5
Dimensions (in): 10 x 7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0824828909
Dewey Decimal Number: 959
EAN: 9780824828905
ASIN: 0824828909
Publication Date: December 2004
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Book Description
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. Their societies shared many elements but also centered on traditions as diverse as Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, and Christianity. 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 raises many questions, specific and general. Why were the great royal capitals—Hue, Ava, Ayutthaya, Yogyakarta—relegated to obscurity? What led the Vietnamese, at great cost in human suffering, to fight the French, the Americans, and each other for thirty years, and what did the revolutionaries do when they won? How did Southeast Asians live together and how were their lives—and dreams—changed by new forms of authority and new modes of production? What are the region's economic resources, who controls them and benefits from them, and how have they and their distribution changed over time? 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. Technology means helicopter gun ships and government surveillance as well as jet travel and the Internet. As the region's economies have grown, the environment has become polluted and natural resources have been savagely exploited. 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
The Most Comprehensive Book of its Kind January 11, 2007
16 out of 19 found this review helpful
This is the most comprehensive introductory text on Southeast Asian History that I have come across in many years. Despite there being several survey books such as Mary Somers Heidhues' Southeast Asia - A Concise History an in-depth examination of the political and/or economic history of the Southeast Asia is much appreciated as a pedagogical tool. Owen's compilation is different from most because of its comprehensive and balanced approach. It is my opinion that the collection does well in capturing the essence of the region's multiple dimensions. From colonialism to globalization this book guides you through the complexity of the region that we begin to get by reading Heidhues' `A Concise History.' Along the same lines, editors and writers comprehend how hard it is to amalgamate the scholarly energies of eight authors of different generational situations and yet come up with a consistent and accessible book - a book on the histories of ten nation-states that have complex and interrelated narratives. The writers, in particular - Owen, should be applauded for accomplishing this Herculean task in less than four years after commencement. The book itself is the metaphor of the "unity in diversity" that is Southeast Asia. The writers are self reflective of the ever-changing dynamics not just of Southeast Asia but the ever-changing perspective of the region as well and this volume is "a fresh look at modern Southeast Asian History", deliberately as a "shorter more accessible text for the twenty-first century" (p. iv). The book is arranged into 37 chapters in five parts. The editor's aim is to map out the "processes of historical transformation" as well as to reveal the "chronological narratives of events" unfolding across time and space (p. xi). Despite its omissions and errata it is still arguably one of the most comprehensive works of its kind.
Miguel Llora
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