A History of Early Modern Southeast Asia, 1400–1830

Written by two expert authors, this textbook is the first to examine early modern Southeast Asian history in depth. Chapters explore political, social, economic, cultural and religious developments, and themes including circulation, exchange, material culture, environment and global connections. Student learning is supported by maps, illustrations and timelines.

Written by two experienced teachers with a long history of research, this textbook provides students with a detailed overview of developments in early modern Southeast Asia, when the region became tightly integrated into the world economy because of international demand for its unique forest and sea products. Proceeding chronologically, each chapter covers a specific time frame in which Southeast Asia is located in a global context. A discussion of general features that distinguish the period under discussion is followed by a detailed account of the various sub-regions. Students will be shown the ways in which local societies adapted to new religious and political ideas and responded to far-reaching economic changes. Particular attention is given to lesser-known societies that inhabited the seas, the forests, and the uplands, and to the role of the geographical environment in shaping the region's history. The authoritative yet accessible narrative features maps, illustrations, and timelines to support student learning. A major contribution to the field, this text is essential reading for students and specialists in Asian studies and early modern world history.

Acknowledgements; Note on spelling and measurements; Abbreviations; Introduction: conceptualizing an early modern history of Southeast Asia; 1. Southeast Asia and the geographic environment; 2. Antecedents of early modern societies, ca. 900–1400; 3. Beginning of the early modern era, 1400–1511; 4. Acceleration of change, 1511–1600; 5. Expanding global links and their impact on Southeast Asia, 1600–1690s; 6. New boundaries and changing regimes, 1690s–1780s; 7. Early modern Southeast Asia, the last phase, 1780s–1830s; Conclusion: Southeast Asia and the early modern period; Glossary; Further readings; Index.

Barbara Watson Andaya is Professor of Asian Studies in the Asian Studies Program at the University of Hawai'i, and was President of the American Association for Asian Studies (2005–6). Together with Leonard Y. Andaya, she has taught and researched Southeast Asian history for nearly forty years, working in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. She has collaborated with Leonard Y. Andaya on numerous projects, notably A History of Malaysia (1982, 2001), and they have published several books dealing with early modern Southeast Asian history. Her most recent publication is The Flaming Womb: Repositioning Women in Early Modern Southeast Asia (2006).
Leonard Y. Andaya is Professor of Southeast Asian history in the History Department at the University of Hawai'i. He has taught and researched Southeast Asian history for nearly forty years and has worked around the world. His most recent publication is Leaves of the Same Tree: Trade and Ethnicity in the Straits of Melaka (2008).