Southeast Asia: Past And Present [Paperback]

D.R. SarDesai (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813341434 | ISBN-13: 978-0813341439 | Publication Date: September 12, 2003 | Edition: Fifth Edition

Southeast Asia: Past and Present offers a balanced, readable account of the region from ancient to modern times, covering traditional history as well as current events. D. R. SarDesai avoids exaggerating (as others do) the importance of the period of European colonial rule as he introduces us to the regions and peoples of Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, East Timor, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Combining thematic and chronological approaches with the study of colonialism, nationalism, domestic problems, and international relations, Southeast Asia manages to convey an Asian point of view throughout. In this thoroughly revised and updated fifth edition, SarDesai brings his account of the region's history up-to-date including the emergence of East Timor as an independent state, the admission of Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar to the ASEAN and its implications for the economy and security of the region. The new edition also provides a completely updated, comprehensive bibliography and chronology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

D. R. SarDesai is former Chairperson of South and Southeast Asian Studies and the first holder of the Doshi Chair in Indian History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Southeast Asia: Past and Present 5th Edition (Westview Press, 2003). He is also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Yadunandan Center for India Studies for his caring and distinguished work in South and Southeast Asian studies. D. R. SarDesai is former Chairperson of South and Southeast Asian Studies and the first holder of the Doshi Chair in Indian History at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of Southeast Asia: Past and Present 5th Edition (Westview Press, 2003). He is also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Yadunandan Center for India Studies for his caring and distinguished work in South and Southeast Asian studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; Fifth Edition edition (September 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813341434
• ISBN-13: 978-0813341439
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,380,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Resource for Learning about SE Asian History, January 24, 2008

By 

Gen Res (World) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Southeast Asia: Past And Present (Paperback)

I have read books about China and India but had very little knowledge about the numerous other countries in SE Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. This book focuses on the history, colonial period, freedom struggles and current events of the countries of: The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. A History of SE Asia was written by D.R. Sardesai, a Professor of Asian studies at UCLA. This book is easy to read and full of eye opening facts, figures and historical information. Southeast Asia History: Past and Present is extensively researched. I found it fascinating to learn about all of these countries and walked away with a lot more knowledge of this region.

One note is that a book like this which is about different countries can be presented in two ways - one way would be where a couple of chapters are devoted to one country then that country is finished, and the next few chapters are devoted to another country and so on. The second way is to organize the book by time periods. This book is organized by time periods. So there is the historical era of all countries, then colonial era, etc. So I caught myself for example really getting into Vietnam's history and then suddenly the book will start discussing Cambodia in the same time period. Then in the next chapter Vietnam will be brought up again, but in another era.

At the end of this book is a 25 page timeline for China, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia. The timeline has leaders, wars, and other historical information. Following that is an extensive bibliography.

I greatly enjoyed the book and found it to be a valuable and informative read on these countries.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Worried about accuracy, October 31, 2010

By 

Dean Robinson "Spambeano" (Hong Kong, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Southeast Asia: Past and Present (Paperback)

I just started going through the book and am worried about its accuracy.

I was a tad bit dismayed as on the very first page, it states that East Timor had enrolled in the ASEAN bloc. As far as I know East Timor has yet to be admitted. This appears to be an error. Likewise, I believe there were five, not four, founding members of ASEAN. The author has forgotten Thailand.

This really worries me. If such basic information about SE Asia is not correct, I wonder about the rest of the book.

If these are errors, I wonder how it could be in it's sixth edition without anyone catching them.