Synopses & Reviews
Here is a brief, well-written, and lively survey of the history of Southeast Asia from ancient times to the present, paying particular attention to the region's role in world history and the distinctive societies that arose in lands shaped by green fields and forests, blue rivers and seas. Craig Lockard shows how for several millennia Southeast Asians, living at the crossroads of Asia, enjoyed ever expanding connections to both China and India, and later developed maritime trading networks to the Middle East and Europe. He explores how the people of the region combined local and imported ideas to form unique cultures, reflected in such striking creations as Malay sailing craft, Javanese gamelan music, and batik cloth, classical Burmese and Cambodian architecture, and social structures in which women have often played unusually influential roles. Lockard describes colonization by Europeans and Americans between 1500 and 1914, tracing how the social, economic, and political frameworks inherited from the past, combined with active opposition to domination by foreign powers, enabled Southeast Asians to overcome many challenges and regain their independence after World War II. The book also relates how Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are now among the fastest growing economies in the world and play a critical role in today's global marketplace.
Synopsis
This book will sketch an outline of Southeast Asian history from earliest times to the present, showing how the diverse political, economic, social, and cultural patterns developed over several thousand years and the role played by the region in the larger world. Approximately one third will be devoted to the centuries before 1500 CE, when civilizations and kingdoms emerged and some Southeast Asians became active in Asian and Pacific maritime trade networks. It will discuss the connections to India and China, the great kingdoms such as Angkor, the maritime trade, and the emergence of diverse cultural traditions, including the Theravada Buddhist, Islamic, and Vietnamese realms. Another third covers the period of Western expansion and colonization between 1500 and 1941, when various Western nations began to gradually influence and then reshape the region and Southeast Asians became more deeply involved with world trade. This includes an extensive discussion of the impact of colonialism on Southeast Asian societies, cultures, economies and politics. The final third examines the rise of nationalism and independence movements, decolonization, the wars in Indochina, and the links between past, present, and future.
About the Author
Craig Lockard is Ben and Joyce Rosenberg Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Ancient Roots of Southeast Asia to ca. 200 BCE
Chapter 2: Southeast Asians in the Classical World, ca. 200 BCE-800 CE
Chapter 3: The Kingdoms of the Golden Age, ca. 800-1400
Chapter 4: New Cultures and Connections, ca. 1300-1750
Chapter 5: Christians, Spices, and Western Expansion, 1500-1750
Chapter 6: The Western Winds of Colonialism, 1750-1914
Chapter 7: Colonial Impact and Changing Fortunes, 1800-1941
Chapter 8: Fighting for the Cause of National Freedom, 1900-1950
Chapter 9: Revolutionary Wars and Nation-Building, 1950-ca. 1975
Chapter 10: Diverse Identities, Tigers, and Changing Politics since ca. 1975
Chapter 11: Southeast Asia and the Wider World
Notes
Chronology
Further Reading
Websites
Index