It has sometimes been argued that many Indonesians had little sympathy with western notions of elections being events for the contesting and transfer of power and that they rather supported the New Order's use of 'festivals of democracy', elections as occasions at which the mass of ordinary Indonesians were given the opportunity to celebrate the country's achievements under the rule of its New Order leadership as well as legitimize the continued rule of these leaders. But the need to stage...

Traditionally, the tumultuous period 1930-50 in South East Asia has been viewed as a dichotomy, of European vs Asian or imperialist vs nationalist. This highly acclaimed volume presents another (triangular) perspective and challenges established wisdom about the period.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book explores the critical role that local knowledge plays in public policy processes as well as its role in the co-production of policy relevant knowledge with the scientific and professional communities.The authors consider the mechanisms used by local organisations and the constraints and opportunities they face, exploring what the knowledge-to-policy process means, who is involved and how different communities can engage in the...

This text examines how leaders on Java rise to power, stay in power and pass their power on. Most of these essays deal with rural power but a few address more general issues of leadership.

The general tendency among theorists in nationalism and national identity has been to assume that the modernization process in Asia and Africa is a kind of distorted reflection of a Western precedent; Asian forms of the nation have rarely been seen as independent, alternative models. Among today's leading theoreticians, there is a growing tendency to take Asia seriously, and to include Asian examples in the general discussion. The aim of the present collection is to build on and reinforce ...

Since his undergraduate days in Cambridge, George Yeo has spoken and written much in and out of government. Many remember the things which he said or wrote years ago. This book is a compilation of some of his best speeches and writings which were selected by Asad Latif and Lee Huay Leng in consultation with him.The book has a rather unusual title because there are many aspects to George Yeo which makes him difficult to classify. As a student leader, he was radical but conciliatory. In the ...

Laos, perhaps the least known country in mainland Southeast Asia, stands at the region's crossroads. This small 'land in between' is surrounded by China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma-countries that, in pre-modern times, provided Lao kings with a field for territorial expansion. But more often, Laos has been a bridge between these powerful neighbours, and an arena in which they and their allies have interfered.Here, Grant Evans brings Lao history vividly into focus. From an...

Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925-2006) was undoubtedly Indonesia’s most significant novelist and writer. After the 1960 publication of this book, now translated for the first time, Promoedya spent some 20 years in prison often in appalling conditions. The book sets out in the form of nine letters much of the author’s humanist and deeply anti-racialist philosophy as it discussed the history and needs of Indonesia’s large and long-established Chinese population who were facing increasing official...

China, the world's most populous nation, has always exerted great influence on the traditional kingdoms and modern states of Southeast Asia. Today, history and culture continue to shape the modern relationship.In this concise volume, Martin Stuart-Fox charts the history of relations between China and Southeast Asia across two millennia, examining patterns of diplomacy, commercial networks, and migration, and explaining how these have varied over time. He shows how China's tradition...

Tourist adverts and glossy publications present Thailand as an exotic country with a rich cultural heritage, strong religious traditions and a much-loved monarchy. Historians too have contributed to Thailand’s international allure by asserting its unique historical and cultural continuity in comparison to the other countries of South-East Asia, whose modern histories are stained by colonialism and nationalist struggles for independence.Thailand: The Worldly Kingdom challen...

Tamerlane was the last of the 'world conquerors': his armies looted and killed from the shores of the Mediterranean to the frontier of China. Nomad horsemen from the Steppes had been the terror of Europe and Asia for centuries, but with Tamerlane's death in 1405, an epoch of history came to an end. The future belonged to the great dynastic empires - Chinese, Mughal, Iranian and Ottoman - where most of Eurasia's culture and wealth was to be found, and to the oceanic voyagers from Eurasia's ...

Islamic, authoritarian, democratic, developing, disintegrating, Indonesia is an enigma to outside observers who have never seemed sure just what it is.The largest country in its region, Indonesia holds the key to Southeast Asia's future, while recent developments (demands for greater regional autonomy, ethnic, political and religious conflict) are making the archipelago significant on the world stage and prompting re-examination of its history.As a state Indonesia is a twen...