How particular has Southeast Asia's experience of educational development been, and has this led to an identifiably distinct Southeast Asian approach to the provision of education? Inquiry into these questions has significant consequences for our understanding of the current state of education in Southeast Asia and the challenges it has inherited. This book contributes to a better understanding of the experience of educational development in Southeast Asia by presenting a collection of micro-historical studies on the subject of education, policy and practice in the region from the emergence of modern education to the end of the twentieth century. The chapters fathom the extent to which contest over educational content in schools has occurred and establish the socio-cultural, political and economic bases upon which these contestations have taken place and the ways in which those forces have played out in the classrooms. In doing so, the book conveys a sense of the extent to which modern forms of education have been both facilitated and shaped by the region's specific configurations; its unique demographic, religious, social, environmental, economic and political context. Conversely, they also provide examples of the sorts of obstacles that have prevented education making as full an impact on the region's recent 'modern' transformation as might have been hoped or expected. This book will be of interest to academics in the field of Southeast Asian Studies, Asian Studies, education, nationalism, and history.

The modern states of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and East Timor were once a tapestry of kingdoms, colonies, and smaller polities linked by sporadic trade and occasional war. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the United States and several European powers had come to control almost the entire region - only to depart dramatically in the decades following World War II. perspective on this complex region. Although it does not neglect nation-building (the central theme of its popular and long-lived predecessor, In Search of Southeast Asia), the present work focuses on economic and social history, gender, and ecology. It describes the long-term impact of global forces on the region and traces the spread and interplay of capitalism, nationalism, and socialism. It acknowledges that modernization has produced substantial gains in such areas as life expectancy and education but has also spread dislocation and misery. Organizationally, the book shifts between thematic chapters that describe social, economic, and cultural change, and country chapters emphasizing developments within specific areas. will establish a new standard for the history of this dynamic and radically transformed region of the world.

How particular has Southeast Asia’s experience of educational development been, and has this led to an identifiably distinct Southeast Asian approach to the provision of education? Inquiry into these questions has significant consequences for our understanding of the current state of education in Southeast Asia and the challenges it has inherited. This book contributes to a better understanding of the experience of educational development in Southeast Asia by presenting a collection of micro-historical studies on the subject of education, policy and practice in the region from the emergence of modern education to the end of the twentieth century. The chapters fathom the extent to which contest over educational content in schools has occurred and establish the socio-cultural, political and economic bases upon which these contestations have taken place and the ways in which those forces have played out in the classrooms. In doing so, the book conveys a sense of the extent to which modern forms of education have been both facilitated and shaped by the region’s specific configurations; its unique demographic, religious, social, environmental, economic and political context. Conversely, they also provide examples of the sorts of obstacles that have prevented education making as full an impact on the region’s recent 'modern' transformation as might have been hoped or expected. This book will be of interest to academics in the field of Southeast Asian Studies, Asian Studies, education, nationalism, and history.

Written by two expert and highly esteemed authors, this is the much-anticipated textbook on the early modern history of Southeast Asia.

At the dawn of European colonialism, the Southeast Asian region encompassed some of the most diverse and influential cultures in early modern history. The circulation of people, commodities, ideas and beliefs along the key trading routes, from the eastern edge of the Mughal empire to the southern Chinese border, stimulated some of the great cultural and political achievements of the age. This volume highlights the multifarious dimensions of exchange in eight fascinating case studies written by leading experts from the fields of History, Anthropology, Musicology and Art History. Intercultural Exchange in Southeast Asia explores religious change at both ends of the social spectrum, examining the factors which led to or impeded the conversion of kings to new faiths, as well as those which affected the conversion of the marginal communities of mercenaries and renegades. The artistic and cultural refashioning of new religions such as Christianity to suit local needs and sensibilities is highlighted in the Philippines, Siam, Vietnam and the Malay world while detailed analyses of scientific exchanges in maritime southeast Asia highlight the role of local agents, especially women, in the transmission of knowledge and beliefs. The articulation and cultural expression of power relations is addressed in chapters on colonial urban design and the use of music in diplomatic exchanges. This book utilises rare and unpublished sources to shed new light on the processes, strategies, and consequences of exchanges between cultures, societies and individuals and will be essential reading for those interested in the cultural and political origins of modern Asia.

This book focuses on education and power in Southeast Asia and analyzes the ways in which education has been instrumentalized by state, non-state, and private actors across this diverse region. The book looks at how countries in Southeast Asia respond to the endogenous and exogenous influences in shaping their education systems. Chapters observe and study the interplay between education and power in Southeast Asia, which offers varying political, social, cultural, religious, and economic diversities. The political systems in Southeast Asia range from near consolidated democracy in Indonesia to illiberal democracy in Singapore and Thailand to the communist regime in Laos to absolute monarchy in Brunei. Structured in three parts, (i) centralization and decentralization, (ii) privatization and marketization, and (iii) equity and justice, these themes are discussed in single-country and/or multi-country studies in the Southeast Asian region. Bringing together scholars from and focused on Southeast Asia, this book fills a gap in the literature on education in Southeast Asia.

A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads presents a comprehensive history of Southeast Asia from our earliest knowledge of its civilizations and religious patterns up to the present day. Incorporates environmental, social, economic, and gender issues to tell a multi-dimensional story of Southeast Asian history from earliest times to the present Argues that while the region remains a highly diverse mix of religions, ethnicities, and political systems, it demands more attention for how it manages such diversity while being receptive to new ideas and technologies Demonstrates how Southeast Asia can offer alternatives to state-centric models of history more broadly 2016 PROSE Award Honorable Mention for Textbook in the Humanities

The book addresses the issues of China’s soft power in Southeast Asia during the rise of China. This soft power includes Chinese language education and popular culture. With regard to Chinese education, prior to the rise of China, Chinese schools were catered to mainly overseas Chinese children. Non-Chinese seldom received Chinese education. However, the rise of China and the export of Confucius Institutes (CIs) changed the landscape as CIs are meant for the non-Chinese population as well. China’s educational soft power penetrated the larger non-Chinese community, making Chinese soft power more effective. Chinese popular culture has also infiltrated the non-Chinese population. Various chapters in this book show that rising China’s soft power in Southeast Asia has grown quite significantly, particularly in terms of the Chinese language and Chinese popular culture. Nevertheless, its popularity still lags behind American soft power. The Chinese language is still not as popular as the English language. The same could also be said for Chinese popular culture. The growth of China’s soft power faces tremendous challenges in the Southeast Asian region. Its further growth would depend on China’s continuous economic power and cordial relations with the Southeast Asian countries.

A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, Modern Short Fiction of Southeast Asia surveys the historical and cultural significance of modern short fiction in nine Southeast Asian nations--Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Written in an accessible style, without jargon, this book will be of great interest to students of modern literature and general readers interested in Southeast Asia as well as scholars of East and South Asia who wish to compare the literary developments of those areas to Southeast Asia. The interdisciplinary approach suggests that literature has made a significant contribution to the social and political history of the region, and the authors address topics of significance to scholars of numerous disciplines including anthropology, cultural studies, history, literature, political science, and sociology.

Annotation Southeast Asian scholars may have special insights into their respective countries, but they are just as easily infected by political and didactic functions of their national histories as any historian. The editors (a professor and former professor with the School of Humanities, U. Sains Malaysia) present 15 papers in which Southeast Asian scholars turn a critical eye on their national historiographies. Five of the papers explore broad methodological issues, while others examine particular historiographic traditions from Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. The final group consists of case studies of the application of new methodologies and understandings to particular historical events or periods. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).