Synopses & Reviews
Much has been written about the wealth of nations, the history of unequal distribution of wealth, and the creation of zones of affluence and deprivation, both within and between societies. This book sets out to explore why some Asian nations are more prosperous than others through an examination of how their interaction with and utilization of resources has changed over the centuries.
Review
"The stimulating essays in this volume mesh well to give a firm sense of a crucial subject for south, southeast, and East Asian history: the role of nature and natural resources. The authors reach back several centuries to provide perspectives that illuminate both the history of monsoon Asia and the dilemmas of resource management today."--J.R. McNeill, Cinco Hermanos Chair of Environmental and International Affairs Georgetown University "This is a pioneering, exceptionally welcome inquiry into a critical topic, namely, the complex relation between social development and natural resources in Asia during the last thousand years. Although the book focuses on Southeast Asia, its wide theoretical interests and the inclusion of first-rate essays on India, China, and Japan give it a very wide appeal."
--Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan "Highly recommended." —CHOICE
Synopsis
Much has been written about the wealth of nations, the history of unequal distribution and zones of affluence and deprivation within and between societies. This book explores why some Asian nations are more prosperous than others through an examination of how their interaction with and utilization of resources has changed over the centuries.
About the Author
Greg Bankoff is Associate Professor of History, University of Auckland. Peter Boomgaard is Professor of Environmental and Economic History of Southeast Asia, University of Amsterdam, and Senior Researcher, KITLV/Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, Leiden.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Natural Resources and the Shape of Asian History, 1500-2000--Greg Bankoff & Peter Boomgaard * Natural Resource Management and Mismanagement: Observations from Southeast Asian Agricultural History--David Henley *
PART I: RESOURCES AND STATE * The Physical Transformation of the Central Thai Region in Pre-Modern Times--Baas Terwiel * Poor Little Rich Islands: Metals in Bangka-Belitung and West Kalimantan--Mary Somers Heidhues * Making Places and Making States: Agriculture, Metallurgy, and the Wealth of Nature in South India--Kathleen Morrison *
PART II: FORESTS AND DEVELOPMENT * From Wood to Timber: Changing Perceptions of Philippine Forests, 1565-1900--Greg Bankoff * Seeing the Timber for the Forest: The Wood in Japanese Capitalism--Greg Clancey * Burma and the Politics of Teak: Dissecting a Resource Curse--Raymond Bryant * Losing Ground: Development, Natural Resources, and the Dispossession of Malaysia's Orang Asli--Robert Aiken *
PART III: ENVIRONMENTS AND LIVELIHOODS * From Riches to Rags?: Rice Production and Trade in Asia, Particularly Indonesia, 1500-1950--Peter Boomgaard * Instructive and Nourishing Landscapes: Natural Resources, People, and the State in Late Imperial China--Francesca Bray * Demographic Growth, Agricultural Expansion, and Livestock in the Lower Chindwin in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries--Michael Charney * "Stealing from the Gods:" Fisheries and Local Use of Natural Resources in Vietnam, 1800-2000--John Kleinen