"Southeast Asia: Past and Present" offers a balanced and readable account of the region from ancient to modern times, covering traditional history as well as current events. D. R. SarDesai avoids overemphasizing 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. Readers will find the new introductions to each part a helpful aid in understanding the global and political implications of the events discussed. The sixth edition is also updated to include important discussions of the Asian tsunami, avian flu, ASEAN, cyclone Nargis, the monk uprising in Myanmar, the ongoing saga of the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as other recent events in southeast Asia. Conveying an Asian point of view throughout, "Southeast Asia" combines thematic and chronological approaches with the study of colonialism, nationalism, domestic problems, and international relations.

Previous ed. entitled as Southeast Asia, past & present. 2003.

Preface -- PART 1. CULTURAL HERITAGE: The land and its people -- Early kingdoms in mainland Southeast Asia -- Early kingdoms of Sumatra and Java -- The rise of new states: Ayuthaya, Majapahit, and Malacca -- European intrusion in the Indian archipelago: the early phase -- Mainland Southeast Asia: the consolidations of Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam -- Part one review -- PART 2. COLONIAL INTERLUDE: The English and Dutch in the East Indies -- The British role in the Malay States in the nineteenth century -- Pride and paramountcy: Anglo-Burmese relations in the nineteenth century -- The French in Vietnam and Cambodia -- Thailand remains independent -- Part two review -- PART 3. NATIONALIST RESPONSE: Nationalist movements in Southeast Asia: general -- The Filipino urge for freedom from Spanish and U.S. rule -- The nationalist movements: Indonesia -- The nationalist movements: Myanmar -- Thailand's constitutional revolution -- The nationalist movements: Vietnam -- The nationalist movements: Malaya, Cambodia, and Laos -- Part three review -- PART 4. FRUITS OF FREEDOM: Independent Philippines -- Myanmar: toward integration and democracy -- Thailand: independence at any price -- Indonesia: unity amid diversity -- East Timor: birth of a nation -- Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei -- Nationalism and communism in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos -- Vietnam and Cambodia under communism -- Tsunami, cyclone, avian influenza, and terrorism in Southeast Asia -- Part four review -- Chronological charts -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index