Refusing Malaya: The Penang Secessionist Movement
As Malaya headed towards independence, the spectre of identity politics loomed. What place for cosmopolitan Penang and its diverse population?
Southeast Asia
Indonesia’s Heroic History
Indonesian national heroes are state approved. Is Suharto, an old president with a history of violence, worthy of the title?
Europe and the End of Old Java
In 1825 Java’s old order rose up against encroaching European colonialism. What – and who – were the Javanese rebels fighting for?
On the Spot: Annabel Teh Gallop
‘What historical topic have I changed my mind on? Orality. Historians search for ‘lost’ manuscripts which might never have existed.’
Death of the King of Siam
On 1 October 1868 King Mongkut – who reigned as Rama IV – passed away having trod a delicate course to keep Thailand free of European empires.
Saving Southeast Asia’s Sunken Warships
Shipwrecks are an easily overlooked material legacy of the Second World War, but they are rising to the surface as diplomatic issues.
‘Massacre in the Clouds’ by Kim A. Wagner review
In Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History, Kim A. Wagner offers a blow-by-blow account of Bud Dajo. But is the devil truly in the detail?
‘Spice’ by Roger Crowley review
In Spice: The 16th-Century Contest that Shaped the Modern World, Roger Crowley explains how Spain and Portugal turned up the heat in the age of imperialism.
‘Revolusi’ by David Van Reybrouck review
Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David Van Reybrouck brings Southeast Asia’s ‘invisible revolution’ into the light.
How ASEAN Lost its Way
ASEAN was founded to promote peace between the nations of Southeast Asia. Incapable of moving with the times, what is the point of it?