South East Asia

The purpose of this course is to introduce the readers to the history of the region of Southeast Asia, an umbrella term for various countries. This documentation is a fairly recent practice that started as late as the 1950s. The course is taught in two semesters. It discusses the rule of various dynasties who assimilated numerous practices through trade relations and conquests, exploring its colonization by European imperial powers in the 17th-20th centuries along with the countries’ individual struggles for freedom.

The unit starts with a discussion on the literary and archaeological sources on Southeast Asia, followed by an account of historical transitions and state formations. The emergence of trade, the spread of various religions and architecture a culmination of various cultures and styles are discussed.

The next semester explains developments in the 17th - 20th century. The emergence of European colonialism and subsequent cultural changes are explored. Resistance movements during the colonial period and the struggle against American imperialism in the post-colonial era are discussed and Southeast Asian participation in World War II are analysed.

We have done our best to segregate the readings and these have been done in accordance with the sub-units but they are not water-tight. Readers are advised to go through all the readings.

Part 1: History of Southeast Asia up to the 16th

I. Introducing maritime and mainland Southeast Asia;the diversity within the macroregions; sources and historiographical trends -- Indianization/ Sinicization/ Localization

J. D. Legge_ The Writing of Southeast Asian History

II. The transition from prehistory to history; prehistoric, bronze and iron age sites

III. State formation; the early kingdoms; later polities (especially Pagan, Srivijaya, Champa, Angkor); social structures

Keith W. Taylor_ The Early Kingdoms

D. G. E. Hall_ The Island Empires

D. G. E. Hall_ Burma And Arakan

D. G. E. Hall_ The T’ais And The Kingdom Of Aytu’ia

D. G. E. Hall_ The Kingdom Of Champa

D. G. E. Hall_ The Khmers And Angkor

IV. Trade: routes and commodities; maritime and overland connections with Asia, Africa and Europe

Kenneth R. Hall_ Economic History of Early Southeast Asia

D. G. E. Hall_ The Intrusion Of The English And The Dutch

D. G. E. Hall_ The Portuguese In Southeast Asia

Kenneth R. Hall_ The Foundations of Indonesian Polity: Srivijaya and Java to the Early Tenth Century

Kenneth R. Hall_ Trade and Statecraft in Early Southeast Asia

Kenneth R. Hall_ Transitions in the Southeast Asian Mainland Commercial Realm, ca. 900–1500

Kenneth R. Hall_ The Temple-Based Mainland Political Economies of Angkor Cambodia and Pagan Burma, ca. 889–1300

Kenneth R. Hall_ Upstream and Downstream Unification and the Changing Sense of Community in Southeast Asia’s Fifteenth-Century Maritime Port-Polities

Kenneth R. Hall_ Structural Change in the Javanese Community, ca. 900–1300

Kenneth R. Hall_ Maritime Trade and State Development, ca. 1250–1500

Kenneth R. Hall_ Early International Maritime Trade and Cultural Networking in the Southeast Asia Region, ca. 100–500

Kenneth R. Hall_ Maritime Trade and Community Development in Fourteenth and Fifteenth-Century Java

Kenneth R. Hall_ Competition on the East Coast of the Mainland: Early Champa and Vietnam Political Economies

V. Religion: the spread and localization of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam; popular beliefs; literary and visual narrations of the epics and Buddhist legends

J. G. De Casparis & I. W. Mabbett_Religion and Popular Beliefs of Southeast Asia before c. 1500

Barbara Watson Andaya & Yoneo Ishii_ Religious Developments in Southeast Asia c. 1500-1800

H. J. DE. Graaf_ South-East Asian Islam To The Eighteenth Century.pdf

D. G. E. Hall_ Malacca And The Spread Of Islam

VI. Art and Architecture: histories of monuments and sculptures -- Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam (any three)

VII. Southeast Asia in a global context: connected histories; cultural interactions; war and conflict

D. G. E. Hall_ Indian Cultural Influence

Part 2: Modern Southeast Asia: 17th to the 20th Century

I. Issues in history and historiography

II. Colonialism: structures and processes: Dutch Indonesia, French Indo-China, Burma; 19th century transformations – cultivation system, plantation economy

D. G. E. Hall_ Burma Under The Restored Toungoo Dynasty, 1600-1752

D. G. E. Hall_ The Restored Dutch Regime In Indonesia And The Culture System, 1816-48

D. G. E. Hall_ British Beginnings In Malaya: Background To Singapore

D. G. E. Hall_ French Administration And Nationalism In Indo-China

D. G. E. Hall_ The Economic Aspect Of European Domination

D. G. E. Hall_ The Malay Powers From The Fall Of Malacca (1511) To The End Of The Eighteenth Century

D. G. E. Hall_ The Expansion Of The V. O. C., 1623-84

Nicholas Tarling_The Establishment of the Colonial Regimes

Carl A. Trockl_ Political Structures in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

John F. Cady_ British Administration, 1886-1914

John F. Cady_ A Century of British Relations, 1784-1886

John F. Cady_ Economic and Social Developments, 1870-1914

III. Cultural change and continuity under colonialism

[a] Popular culture and religious traditions (Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and animism)

William R. Roff_ South-East Asian Islam In The Nineteenth Century.pdf

Harry J. Benda_ South-East Asian Islam In The Twentieth Century.pdf

[b] Race and colonialism

Norman G. Owen_ Economic and Social Change

D. G. E. Hall_ The British Forward Movement In Malaya

D. G. E. Hall_ The Resurgence Of Southeast Asia

[c] Colonialism and its forms of knowledge

IV. National resistance, political change and the post-colonial era

Reynaldo Ileto_ Religion and Anti-colonial Movements

[a] The Vietnamese Revolution

[b] The Indonesian Revolution

D. G. E. Hall_ The Dutch Forward Movement In Indonesia

D. G. E. Hall_ The Dutch ‘New Course’ And Nationalism In Indonesia, 1900-42

[c] The nationalist movements in Burma

D. G. E. Hall_ Burma From The Treaty Of Yandabo To The Creation Of The Province of British Burma, 1826-62

D. G. E. Hall_ British Burma, 1886-1942

D. G. E. Hall_ The Region Of Bodawpaya And The First Anglo-Burmese War, 1782-1826

V. World War II and the struggle against American imperialism

A. J. Stockwell_ Southeast Asia in War and Peace: The End of European Colonial Empires

D. G. E. Hall_ After The War, 1945-50

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