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Very Short Introductions #562
Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction
The eleven countries of Southeast Asia are diverse in every way, from the ethnicities and religions of their residents to their political systems and levels of prosperity. These nations--Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, and East Timor--are each undeniably unique, yet the vestiges of their shared traditions mean that each country is also characteristically Southeast Asian.
In Southeast A Very Short Introduction , James R. Rush traces the history of the region, beginning with its earliest settled communities (ca. 3000 BCE) through its long classical period of "mandala" kingdoms. Rush then delves into the four centuries of colonial penetration, from the Portuguese invasion of Melaka in 1511 to the Japanese conquest of the colonies in World War II. This is followed by discussion of the subsequent independence movements and the Vietnam War. Rush also traces the history of the region's relations with India and China--he tells the story of the foundation and evolution of the region-defining Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), explaining how all these events helped shape the countries of Southeast Asia into the stable nations we know democracies, dictatorships, and constitutional monarchies alike.
Rush covers the recent ethno-religious violence in Myanmar, military rule and democratization in Indonesia, the environmental consequences of agribusiness and unchecked urbanization, and big-power alignments and tensions involving the United States, China, and Japan. A synthesis of the research and insights of leading scholars, Southeast A Very Short Introduction provides an easy-to-grasp analysis of contemporary Southeast Asia that accommodates its bewildering ethnic, religious, and political complexities while exposing the underlying patterns that make it a recognizable world region.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
In Southeast A Very Short Introduction , James R. Rush traces the history of the region, beginning with its earliest settled communities (ca. 3000 BCE) through its long classical period of "mandala" kingdoms. Rush then delves into the four centuries of colonial penetration, from the Portuguese invasion of Melaka in 1511 to the Japanese conquest of the colonies in World War II. This is followed by discussion of the subsequent independence movements and the Vietnam War. Rush also traces the history of the region's relations with India and China--he tells the story of the foundation and evolution of the region-defining Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), explaining how all these events helped shape the countries of Southeast Asia into the stable nations we know democracies, dictatorships, and constitutional monarchies alike.
Rush covers the recent ethno-religious violence in Myanmar, military rule and democratization in Indonesia, the environmental consequences of agribusiness and unchecked urbanization, and big-power alignments and tensions involving the United States, China, and Japan. A synthesis of the research and insights of leading scholars, Southeast A Very Short Introduction provides an easy-to-grasp analysis of contemporary Southeast Asia that accommodates its bewildering ethnic, religious, and political complexities while exposing the underlying patterns that make it a recognizable world region.
ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
160 pages, Paperback
Published June 14, 2018
42 people are currently reading
279 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 28, 2024
J. Rush’s Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction offers a compact and engaging overview of Southeast Asia, exploring its history, culture, and politics through 5 well-organized chapters.
1. What is Southeast Asia?
Rush introduces Southeast Asia by contrasting its historical division between highland Swidden farmers and lowland paddy rice farmers with today’s vibrant democracy-aspiring Thailands, election-loving Philippines etc. Historically, the elite chose to Indianize by and large.
2. Kingdoms
The region’s small polities and limited monarchial power defined its precolonial era. There was a great wave of Indianization starting in the 3rd century BCE, which grafted Sanskrit and Pali into local languages and introduced Hindu-Buddhist traditions. Islam’s arrival via trade in the 1400s reshaped coastal societies, while Vietnam remained under strong Chinese cultural influence.
3. Colonies
The colonial era brought European powers like Portugal, Spain, the Dutch, and later the French and Americans. Siam (modern Thailand) retained independence, while the rest of the region saw colonization transform economies and demographics. The influx of Chinese merchants and laborers added complexity, while colonial boundaries shaped modern national borders.
4. Nations
Nationalism grew from educated elite whom the colonizers relied on for ruling. But the first major revolution in the Philippines (1896) was crushed by U.S. intervention, who promised trusteeship and delivered on eventual independence in 1946 (on July 4th no less). The transition to modern nationhood accelerated after Japan’s WWII occupation, which dismantled colonial dominance and ended myths of white supremacy. The Cold War further divided the region, with the Philippines and Thailand aligning with the U.S. while others pursued non-alignment.
5. The Past in the Present
Rush ties historical legacies to contemporary issues, such as environmental challenges and political tensions with China. He highlights how unresolved histories, like the Muslim resistance to Spanish colonization in the southern Philippines, continue to drive conflicts today.
In sum, Rush’s Southeast Asia is a concise yet thorough introduction to the region, structured around clear thematic chapters. One of the better VSIs.
1. What is Southeast Asia?
Rush introduces Southeast Asia by contrasting its historical division between highland Swidden farmers and lowland paddy rice farmers with today’s vibrant democracy-aspiring Thailands, election-loving Philippines etc. Historically, the elite chose to Indianize by and large.
2. Kingdoms
The region’s small polities and limited monarchial power defined its precolonial era. There was a great wave of Indianization starting in the 3rd century BCE, which grafted Sanskrit and Pali into local languages and introduced Hindu-Buddhist traditions. Islam’s arrival via trade in the 1400s reshaped coastal societies, while Vietnam remained under strong Chinese cultural influence.
3. Colonies
The colonial era brought European powers like Portugal, Spain, the Dutch, and later the French and Americans. Siam (modern Thailand) retained independence, while the rest of the region saw colonization transform economies and demographics. The influx of Chinese merchants and laborers added complexity, while colonial boundaries shaped modern national borders.
4. Nations
Nationalism grew from educated elite whom the colonizers relied on for ruling. But the first major revolution in the Philippines (1896) was crushed by U.S. intervention, who promised trusteeship and delivered on eventual independence in 1946 (on July 4th no less). The transition to modern nationhood accelerated after Japan’s WWII occupation, which dismantled colonial dominance and ended myths of white supremacy. The Cold War further divided the region, with the Philippines and Thailand aligning with the U.S. while others pursued non-alignment.
5. The Past in the Present
Rush ties historical legacies to contemporary issues, such as environmental challenges and political tensions with China. He highlights how unresolved histories, like the Muslim resistance to Spanish colonization in the southern Philippines, continue to drive conflicts today.
In sum, Rush’s Southeast Asia is a concise yet thorough introduction to the region, structured around clear thematic chapters. One of the better VSIs.
October 1, 2024
I've been to most of the eleven countries of Southeast Asia, but still my questions are many. This short guide answered some of them. The book takes a largely historical approach, breaking the timeline into periods during which these countries were pre-nation-state kingdoms, then colonies, and then independent countries. While the guide is written by a historian and is organized by governance (i.e. who won the wars,) it does not solely address politics and regimes.
The guide also explores subjects such as religion. This was fortunate for me because a lot of my questions involve this topic. Why is the northern part of the region mostly Buddhist while the southern part is mostly Muslim? Why did Hinduism and other Indian religions (not inclusive of Buddhism, which virtually died out within India) almost entirely give way to other religions in this area, except for spotty exceptions (most notably Bali?) Incidentally, the former question is answered more than the latter, which makes sense as this is small book for a relatively large area, but more importantly for a long history. Southeast Asia has been a strategically and economically important place for centuries.
As a traveler, I found this book well worth reading as a way to gain insight into the region. It doesn't dive deep into cultural questions (except a bit into religion,) and so there is much more to learn from other books. It does explore who governed these countries and how, and the last chapter brings the question up to date -- reflecting on the political and economic changes in the last couple decades. If you're curious to know more about Southeast Asia, in a way that doesn't get too deep in the minutiae, this book is worth checking out.
The guide also explores subjects such as religion. This was fortunate for me because a lot of my questions involve this topic. Why is the northern part of the region mostly Buddhist while the southern part is mostly Muslim? Why did Hinduism and other Indian religions (not inclusive of Buddhism, which virtually died out within India) almost entirely give way to other religions in this area, except for spotty exceptions (most notably Bali?) Incidentally, the former question is answered more than the latter, which makes sense as this is small book for a relatively large area, but more importantly for a long history. Southeast Asia has been a strategically and economically important place for centuries.
As a traveler, I found this book well worth reading as a way to gain insight into the region. It doesn't dive deep into cultural questions (except a bit into religion,) and so there is much more to learn from other books. It does explore who governed these countries and how, and the last chapter brings the question up to date -- reflecting on the political and economic changes in the last couple decades. If you're curious to know more about Southeast Asia, in a way that doesn't get too deep in the minutiae, this book is worth checking out.
December 31, 2024
Elegantly done. I've read a number of these Very Short Introductions, some of which have covered geographical areas as massive as the one covered in this slim volume. They are rarely as focused as this one. Some authors would waste time with coverage of disparate cultural and economic factors, or even broader theoretical introductions, that would waste the 126 pages available.
Not Rush. He gets right to it, and focuses rigorously on the history and politics of the region. I believe this is the right way to approach introducing a region. Economic and cultural aspects get covered as well, but it all serves the propulsive narrative through a couple millennia that Rush provides. He covers the region's ancient kingdoms, the period of colonization, and independence down to the modern day. It's of course impossible to cover everything in such a short volume, but Rush manages to give every country and many sub-regions some coverage, even including tiny East Timor.
I particularly appreciated Rush's concept of "Mandala kingdoms" to describe the polities before European colonization. His description of the way power radiated out from a central core, dissipating as it goes, may have application far beyond the South East Asian context he formulated it for. Really well done. Does what it says it does, introduce South East Asia, and also provides great food for future thought.
Not Rush. He gets right to it, and focuses rigorously on the history and politics of the region. I believe this is the right way to approach introducing a region. Economic and cultural aspects get covered as well, but it all serves the propulsive narrative through a couple millennia that Rush provides. He covers the region's ancient kingdoms, the period of colonization, and independence down to the modern day. It's of course impossible to cover everything in such a short volume, but Rush manages to give every country and many sub-regions some coverage, even including tiny East Timor.
I particularly appreciated Rush's concept of "Mandala kingdoms" to describe the polities before European colonization. His description of the way power radiated out from a central core, dissipating as it goes, may have application far beyond the South East Asian context he formulated it for. Really well done. Does what it says it does, introduce South East Asia, and also provides great food for future thought.
May 15, 2019
I've read a number of books in the A Very Short Introduction series, and they've all been at least good, even if they've not all been great. This one was just good.
Like most books covering Southeast Asia, it has the unenviable job of introducing an area as large as Europe with more than 2000 years of history and few connections with familiar Western themes, and AVSI books have much less time to get the job done. They do it by taking a 30,000 foot view of events and discussing them in somewhat abstract terms. Within those parameters, it got the job done well, introducing the kingdoms and major events in the region. However, it had to leave out a lot of details. It is a decent first stop in reading about the region, but it's far from the final word.
Like most books covering Southeast Asia, it has the unenviable job of introducing an area as large as Europe with more than 2000 years of history and few connections with familiar Western themes, and AVSI books have much less time to get the job done. They do it by taking a 30,000 foot view of events and discussing them in somewhat abstract terms. Within those parameters, it got the job done well, introducing the kingdoms and major events in the region. However, it had to leave out a lot of details. It is a decent first stop in reading about the region, but it's far from the final word.
July 19, 2024
For 100 and something pages, this ticks all the boxes you'd want from a short introduction to such a complex region. Thought the mandala idea was maybe given a bit too much explanatory power in the book but otherwise a really interesting way of framing the issues SE Asia faces now with borders and its colonial history.
I do know it was a short introduction but the writing is just a bit...meh? I wasn't expecting Bill Bryson or anything, but it doesn't feel super organised and though a lot of ground is covered, you do feel like the box-ticking is going a bit *too* far.
I do know it was a short introduction but the writing is just a bit...meh? I wasn't expecting Bill Bryson or anything, but it doesn't feel super organised and though a lot of ground is covered, you do feel like the box-ticking is going a bit *too* far.
December 8, 2025
This was a great book to introduce a reader to the history of Southeast Asia. When I plan a trip to a new place, I like to read up on their histories to better understand the lands I'll be traveling to. This was the first book on Southeast Asia I picked, and it was really efficient in explaining the ancient geopolitical landscape (kingdoms), modern history (colonies), and present (nations) of the region. The book is written mostly as a neutral tone article, but is not as dry as a textbook. It is a very quick read (just 126 pages). I will be reading other books in this series.
May 15, 2019
Pretty much does what the title says, providing a short introduction to the history (primarily, and also some of the geology and politics) of the region in question, and does so in a fairly readable and enjoyable way. Better than some other titles I've read in this series, but it does feel something like a teaser, just enough information to get an impression of the region, but not enough detail to be completely satisfying. I should probably study this region more sometime.
September 3, 2022
Not all very short introductions are created equal. This book really knows southeast asia. Maybe a better introduction to southeast asia is riding the pick-up truck bus in southeast asia but that is way less convenient than reading this little but potent book. It's like a chilli in southeast asia, the smaller they are the harder they sting.
August 7, 2020
É realmente um introdução breve sobre o subcontinente. Passa pelo que teve de comum na história de todos os países da região, desde a pré-história até os dias de hoje. De vez em quando aborda alguma particularidade. No final tem uma lista bem útil de livros para aprofundar no tema.
July 11, 2024
A good introductory read. It was a bit of a whiplash across time and space, but what can you expect by a 140 (small) page journey of several thousand years of the modern home of well over 600 million people and 11 countries.
August 27, 2021
Nice historical summary, that I didn't know living in it.
Read
February 11, 2022read this book for school v boring do not recommend
Read
November 1, 2023read for class
June 20, 2024
I learned a ton of stuff. Not sure if that reflects how good this book is or how ignorant I am.
June 28, 2024
A good overview and explanation of the history and development of Southeast Asia. Fascinating.
February 9, 2024
This book offers a concise exploration of the region's complex history, touching upon key themes that have shaped its trajectory from colonial exploitation to the challenges of contemporary globalization.
James Rush delves into the colonial era, describing the arrival of Spanish friars and settlers in the Philippines and the subsequent blend of exploitation and European civilization. The narrative highlights the multifaceted impact of colonization, from the claiming of land to the establishment of educational institutions and the introduction of the Spanish language. The intricate exchange facilitated by the Manila galleons, connecting the Americas and Asia, becomes a fascinating lens through which to understand the interweaving of cultures and the movement of plants across continents.
The book also navigates the era of Japanese expansion and occupation, illustrating how Japan's influence shattered the myth of white superiority and contributed to the transformation of Southeast Asia's colonies into independent nations. The post-war period saw economic growth fueled by investments from Japan, North America, and Europe, ushering in urbanization, manufacturing, and rising incomes. Rush addresses the resulting socio-economic disparities that emerged, creating a divide between the affluent and the impoverished, a situation still prevalent in many countries today.
Furthermore, Rush delves into the ongoing impact of Westernization in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the continued relevance of English as a language of status and access to global conversations. Despite the rise of China and other Asian economies, the region remains entwined with Western influences, a testament to the lasting legacy of historical interactions.
In the concluding chapters, the author underscores the interconnectedness of Southeast Asia with broader global forces, addressing the effects of globalization, climate change, and resource competition. Rush adeptly portrays the region as a microcosm reflecting the challenges and opportunities that resonate on a global scale.
"Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction" serves as a valuable resource for readers seeking a concise yet enlightening overview of the region's history and its contemporary relevance. James R. Rush's thoughtful exploration invites readers to reflect on the intricate tapestry of Southeast Asian development and its intricate connections to the wider world.
James Rush delves into the colonial era, describing the arrival of Spanish friars and settlers in the Philippines and the subsequent blend of exploitation and European civilization. The narrative highlights the multifaceted impact of colonization, from the claiming of land to the establishment of educational institutions and the introduction of the Spanish language. The intricate exchange facilitated by the Manila galleons, connecting the Americas and Asia, becomes a fascinating lens through which to understand the interweaving of cultures and the movement of plants across continents.
The book also navigates the era of Japanese expansion and occupation, illustrating how Japan's influence shattered the myth of white superiority and contributed to the transformation of Southeast Asia's colonies into independent nations. The post-war period saw economic growth fueled by investments from Japan, North America, and Europe, ushering in urbanization, manufacturing, and rising incomes. Rush addresses the resulting socio-economic disparities that emerged, creating a divide between the affluent and the impoverished, a situation still prevalent in many countries today.
Furthermore, Rush delves into the ongoing impact of Westernization in Southeast Asia, emphasizing the continued relevance of English as a language of status and access to global conversations. Despite the rise of China and other Asian economies, the region remains entwined with Western influences, a testament to the lasting legacy of historical interactions.
In the concluding chapters, the author underscores the interconnectedness of Southeast Asia with broader global forces, addressing the effects of globalization, climate change, and resource competition. Rush adeptly portrays the region as a microcosm reflecting the challenges and opportunities that resonate on a global scale.
"Southeast Asia: A Very Short Introduction" serves as a valuable resource for readers seeking a concise yet enlightening overview of the region's history and its contemporary relevance. James R. Rush's thoughtful exploration invites readers to reflect on the intricate tapestry of Southeast Asian development and its intricate connections to the wider world.
December 6, 2022
Simply written and enlightening.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews