Looking For Some Historical Recommendations

[LivinLOS]

Reading some of the fact filled posts discussing Japanese control etc such as http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...ndpost&p=350937 I realize I dont know much about contemporary SE Asian history, except some small snippets as effects western views (Pol Pot / Vietnam war / etc)..

Any good, fairly impartial, history books covering Thailand and other neighbouring local SE Asian countries (either as one tome or multiple seperates) that can be recommended..

Of course preference to stuff thats readable and not too 'dry' etc.. Does not need to be specific Thailand or simply history (read a good MacArthur / Phillipinnes one a year or so ago) just things along that theme..

[Sir Burr]

LivininLos

You should PM gburns57. He is very knowledgable on Asian, especially Thai history and am sure he can point you in the right direction regarding books.

Edited May 22, 2005 by Sir Burr

[Foggy Bottom]

Anything by David K Wyatt - especially as a primer, his "A Short History of Thailand" - it actually covers a wider picture including Burma, Angkor, Vitenam etc.

Also his co-translations (with Aroonrut Wichienkeeo) of the Ayutthay, Nan, and Chiangmai Chronicles. (I've heard he's working on the Chiang Rai / Chiang Saen chrinicles (for which I can't wait - they will answer so many questions that have been hypthecised to death).

Also writings by Hans Penth make good reading

But also look to wider pictures - the book "1421" about the Chinese grand fleet's global expeditions (even into the Carribean and coast of both Americas) makes interesting back ground reading.

Most ancient records deal with royal houses and warfare, there are plenty that reiterate and rewrite those tales, but be careful of political agendas by the authors or their sponsors.

Look also for the English translations of court records and chronicles from surrounding nations - especially good as the very low cover price Chinese books - usually printed as both chinese and English in one cover - there are many that are from highly placed scholars and academics crammed with good information.

Also publications from specialist institutes - e.g. Kunming's Ethnic Minorities research institute, Chiangmai University's Soscial Studies Institute, and Hill Tribe Research Institute - they tend to be fact filled, but have good placements within historical context.

If you can read Thai - Aroonrut Wichienkeeo's books are (in my opinion) the most authoratative texts on Thai history available - unfortunately, she has a habit of only writing the introduction and conclusion in English - a habit that's cost me a fortune in translation fees.

There are thousands of books that look at Thai history from an architectural photographer's point of view - be careful with the text, they often simply regurgitate official history lines, and those are frequently inaccurate, or at best, politically modified.

You can usually tell the best researched books because they're the ones that make you think "what the <deleted> is this author on? I've never heard that before" That's because you're used to TAT spouting the "official" history which owes more to Disney that to accurate research.

Beware of "thesis and theory" books from the early 20th century - they were often written from folklore rather than archaeology and chronicles. Similarly, DO look out for the "travelogue" books by explorers of the 19th century in the reprinted series by White Lotus Books.

Look also for subject-specific books - i.e. dealing with a single location or period - they tend to be better researched and written with more accurate historical detail, especially those written in the last ten years due to an opening up to scrutiny of more abundant records and archaeology etc. This is true for Burma and China as well as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

I can't give any recommendations regarding south of Thailand's borders as I've not studied that region.

[SeaVisionBurma]

I picked up the latest revised edition of "A SHORT HISTORY OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA", edited by Peter Church, published by WILEY.

Good, informative blow-by-blow history up to modern times of each country in SE Asia.

Another interesting read if you can get it: SIAMESE WHITE by Maurice Collis.

Tells the story of the port of Mergui (now called Myeik) on the southern coast of Burma, back when it was part of the Kingdom of Siam. The King appointed an Englishman, Samuel White, as the Shabandah, or governor, of the port.

Trade between Asia and Europe at this time (17th century) was mostly directed through Mergui, up the Tennaserrim River, across the mountains by elephant, and down into the gulf of Siam.

[bina]

well, i asked a couple of times; including asking one Prof.Erik Cohen , a prof. emeritus from israel univ. jerusalem (21 857 Cohen, Erik, THAI TOURISM: HILL TRIBES, ISLANDS AND OPEN-ENDED PROSTITUTION. Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 4 -- one of his many books i've found listed in his bibliography) : he sent me to White Lotus books: i've ordered some, still waiting to receive them... someone, dont remember who, sent me their sylabus from uni:

History of Southeast Asia: 18th Century to the Present

HIST 306

Suggested Readings

A. General Books

*1. Steinberg, D.J. In Search of Southeast Asia

2. Hall, D.G.E. History of Southeast Asia

3. Tate, D.J.M. Making of Southeast Asia, 2 vols.

4. Bastin, J. & Benda, H.J. History of Modern Southeast Asia

5. Kroef, Justus van der Communism in Southeast Asia

6. Keyes,C. Golden Peninsula

7. McCoy, A.W. Southeast Asia under Japanese Occupation

8. Jeffrey, Robin (ed.) Asia: The Winning of Independence

B. Burma

*1. Taylor, Robert The State in Burma

2. Koenig, William Burmese Polity, 1752-1819

3. Lieberman, Victor Burmese Administrative Cycles: Anarchy and Conquest, 1580-1760

4. Harvey, Godfrey History of Burma

5. Phayre, Arthur P. History of Burma

6. Smith, Martin (ed.) Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity

C. Cambodia

*1. Chandler, David P. History of Cambodia

2 Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War and Revolution since 1945

3. Yang Sam Khmer Buddhism and Politics from 1954 to 1984

D. Indonesia

*1. Legge, John D. Indonesia

*2. Ricklefs, M. C. History of Modern Indonesia

3. Sutherland, H. Making of a Bureaucratic Elite

4. Van Niel, Robert Rise of the Modern Indonesian Elite

5. Reid, Anthony Indonesian National Revolution

6. McVey, R. Rise of Indonesian Communism

7. Anderson, B. Java in a Time of Revolution

E. Laos

*1. Breazeale, Kennon Integration of the Lao States into the Thai Kingdom

2. Le Boulanger, P. Histoire du Laos Francaise

3. Levy, Paul Histoire du Laos

4. Stuart-Fox, Martin (ed.) Beyond the Revolution

F. Malaysia and Singapore

*1. Andaya, B. W. & L. Y. History of Malaysia

*2. Means, G. P. & Mauzy, D. Malaysian Politics: The Second Generation

*3. Turnbull, C.M. History of Singapore

4. Gullick, J.M. Rulers and Residents: Influence and Power in the Malay States, 1870-1920

G. Philippines

1. Agoncillo, Teodoro History of the Filipino People

2. Cushner, Nicholas Spain in the Philippines

3. Majul, Cesar A. Muslims in the Philippines

4. McCoy, Alfred Philippine Social History

*5. Ileto, Reynaldo Pasyon and Revolution

6. Larkin,John The Pampangans

7. Friend, Theodore Between Two Empires

H. Thailand

*1. Wyatt,D.K. Thailand: A Short History

2. Hong Lysa Thailand in the Nineteenth Century

3. Vella, Walter Chaiyo! King Vajiravudh and the Development of Thai Nationalism

4. Batson, Ben End of the Absolute Monarchy in Siam

5. Brown, Ian Elite and the Economy in Siam c.1890-1920

6. Wilson, David Politics in Thailand

I. Vietnam

*1. Hodgkin,Thomas Vietnam: The Revolutionary Path

*2. Marr, David Vietnamese Anticolonialism

3. Vietnamese Tradition on Trial

4. Duiker, W. J. Rise of Nationalism in Vietnam 1900-1941

5. McAlister, J.t. Vietnam: The Origins of Revolution

6. The Asia Society Vietnam: Essays on History, Culture and Society

The books that are starred are highly recommended. In Search of Southeast Asia edited by Steinberg will be regarded as a text. Students should use this book to supplement lectures. The books on this list are important basic works. You should also consult the holdings in the library for further readings when writing your papers or preparing for exams.

Last Updated: 1/27/98

this one was my personal interest in agric.; still waiting to receive it:

22 206 Falvey, Lindsay Thai Agriculture: Golden Cradle of Millennia

Thai agriculture is traced through prehistory, agro-cities, and religious empires with immigrant Tai, to a sustainable wet glutinous rice culture which shaped institutions for an exporting society. Agriculture's provision of security and wealth increased with population and Chinese and European agribusiness, until accessible land was expended. Employment, crisis resilience, self-sufficiency, rural social support, and culture were maintained through agriculture, although hampered by institutional orientations to taxation more than research and education. By the 1960s, agribusiness contrasted with small-holders, setting the stage for today's social dilemmas. Thailand is now one of the world's few major agricultural exporters. It feeds some four times its population. Issues remain in poverty, education, research, governance, national debt, and sensitive alternatives for small-holders. The past suggests that Thailand should remain a major agricultural country as environmental and religious concerns contribute to its unique agriculture.

(Bangkok 2000)

476 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk. $20.00

22 277 Seri Phongpit & Kevin Hewison Village Life: Culture and Transition in Thailand's Northeast

This revised edition deals with Thailand's Northeast - Isan as did the original version published in 1990. The region is a large and populous area that, despite ever-closer integration with the Thai nation and great cultural diversity, retains its distinctiveness. This book provides insights into village life in an accessible format and style. It explains the essence of village life in the Northeast, showing how this has changed under the pressures of centralisation and economic development. As the pace of change has accelerated, so the struggle for self-reliance has become more difficult. Village Life reflects on the remarkable changes that have taken place in the Northeast and shows how villagers are seeking ways forward.

Village Life will be of interest to a wide readership. General readers and travellers will find that it gives them fresh insights into the life of the northeastern villager. As the book is based on the activities of non-governmental organisations and local people, there will be much of interest to academics, professionals, and others involved in development work.

(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-92-4

192 pp., illus., 150 x 210 mm, pbk. $14.50

21 729 Brun, Viggo & Trond Schumacher, TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINE IN NORTHERN THAILAND

This pioneering work offers a comprehensive analysis of the herbal medical tradition in rural northern Thailand. The focus of the research is the description and classification of local disease concepts and the complex relationships between disease, plants, drugs, and prescriptions. The work is based on extensive communication with local practitioners, clinical observations and local manuscripts. About 540 medicinal plants are identified together with their claimed medical properties. In addition, court medical traditions are discussed and the prospects for the survival of traditional medicine in the face of competition from cosmopolitan medicines are assessed. Extensive vocabularies as well as indexes of disease terms and botanical names, including a Thai index of disease terms, are provided. Here is a wealth of information for those interested in medicine, botany and ethno-pharmacology, while the historical and anthropological aspects of the research will interest many students of Southeast Asia.

(Bangkok 1994, reprint from 1987) ISBN 974-8496-15-6

390 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk. $ 25.00

21 857 Cohen, Erik, THAI TOURISM: HILL TRIBES, ISLANDS AND OPEN-ENDED PROSTITUTION. Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 4

This book brings together almost two decades of Erik Cohen’s studies on different aspects of tourism in Thailand. A broad introductory review of the principal recent trends and transformations in Thai tourism is followed by in-depth studies of three tourist domains: ethnic tourism in the hill tribe area of northern Thailand, vacationing tourism on the islands of southern Thailand and sex tourism in Bangkok. These studies are based on extensive field work and set within the theoretical framework of contemporary sociology of tourism, on which the author is a leading expert

(Bangkok 2001, 2nd printing) ISBN974-8496-67-8

409 pp., 150 x 215 mm, pbk. $ 30.00

any other suggestions? anyone want to highlite the more highly recommended books from the list? add? detract?

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Quite a list there Bina!

The only one from it I have read is the David Wyatt book, which I found to be good. The only criticism I would have of it is that the maps were often of poor quality.

Another good book is "Bangkok: Place, Practice and Representation," by Marc Askew. In it Askew gives an overview of the development of Bangkok from its foundation, and then provides case studies of certain types of development particular to Bangkok, such as the development of condos in Sukhumvit road, and the issues regarding the future development of Rattanakosin island.

[camerata]

21 857 Cohen, Erik, THAI TOURISM: HILL TRIBES, ISLANDS AND OPEN-ENDED PROSTITUTION. Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 4

This book brings together almost two decades of Erik Cohen’s studies on different aspects of tourism in Thailand. A broad introductory review of the principal recent trends and transformations in Thai tourism is followed by in-depth studies of three tourist domains: ethnic tourism in the hill tribe area of northern Thailand, vacationing tourism on the islands of southern Thailand and sex tourism in Bangkok. These studies are based on extensive field work and set within the theoretical framework of contemporary sociology of tourism, on which the author is a leading expert

I knew Erik for a short while in the late 70s when we were both living in 300-baht a month wooden bungalows in Sukhumvit Soi 22. He certainly took his "field work" on prostitution very seriously.

Other books I liked on the region were McCoy's "Politics of Heroin in SE Asia" and Seagrave's "Lords of the Rim," about the overseas Chinese.

[bina]

curiouser and curioiuser camerata....

i've not met the guy; just wrote to him practically begging him to help me find a way to study SEA studies in israel.. NO GO... there isn't any... so he just passed me on to the 'white lotus' which has an amazing book site...

however, i am learning more and more about him from really coincidental ways.... and what were u doing in wooden bungalows in the '70's????

i found him because i was looking for info on thai workers in israel and he did a study, which i cant find (not in uni library anymore, i asked a friend to datasearch for me), and now lives in bangkok w/thai wife; isnt life amazing and convoluted?

back to books: i'm concentrating on issan so ordered the few books i could afford from the white lotus place concerning issan... admittedly rather old sources, still looking for more on agric. in issan, etc etc... i've managed to study for three years now w/thaivisa help and books... if anyone knows of online SEA programs i would love to know (found one mini course thru illinoisSEAsite—Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures. Access: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/.); have a b.a. in anthro/socio.... do not need a degree just want to learn more

i have an other list from somewhere, but over 1000 entries for reading material on buddhism.... dont ask!!!! havent even started working my way thru them

oops: remembered and found this in my word files, sorry all these lists are a bit long but thought they might be of interest :

Home Publications College & Research Libraries News Back Issues: 2003 February

INTERNET RESOURCES

Southeast Asian studies: Online resources

C&RL News, February 2003

Vol. 64 No. 2

by Lisa Klopfer

Southeast Asia is recognized as a political and geographical region, but explorations on the Internet delineate other possible boundaries and categories. (i've edited out lots of stuff here, bina)

This article cites resources for the following countries: Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (Kampuchea), East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. I have omitted sites that are only about the Vietnam War. I have selected resources that I consider to be most significant for academic studies, with a slight emphasis on Web sites that are more likely to be missed or overlooked in a simple search. In selecting Web sites from the ever-growing pool, I considered navigability and design as well as currency and the quality of content.

Electronic lists

• Committee on Research Materials on Southeast Asia List (CORMOSEA). Hosted by Ohio University, this list is only accessible by e-mail. For more information, e-mail Kent Mulliner (owner of the list) [email protected]. To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] and in the body of the message type “subscribe cormosea your full name.”

• H-Southeast Asia List. Also hosted by Michigan State University, this list is part of H-Net Humanities & Social Sciences OnLine. It focuses on the history of Southeast Asia, posting discussion logs, book reviews, job announcements, and events. Unlike SEASIA-L, archived messages may be read on the Web without logging in. Access: http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~seasia/.

• Southeast Asia List. This list, hosted by Michigan State University, distributes news on Southeast Asia events, announcements of conferences, publications, and calls for papers, and other items of interest dealing with Southeast Asia. To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] containing the text “subscribe SEASIA-L your full name.” Or subscribe via the Web. Access: http://list.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=seasia-l&A=1.

Gateways

• AsiaSource. This huge portal is sponsored by the Asia Society. It links to news, business resources, resources for teachers, a database of Asian foods, and recipes. If you only want to visit one site for Southeast Asia, this is the one. Searching the site is not as helpful as browsing deeper into the collections by clicking on links. Access: http://www.asiasource.org/.

• Asiaville. The site offers selected links to business and cultural information for most Asian countries, including all of Southeast Asia, except East Timor. Click on “sitemap” for a list of countries. Access: http://www.asiaville.com.

• East and Southeast Asia: Net Resources. Maintained by Robert Y. Eng of the University of Redlands, this site provides pages of Internet resources with an emphasis on political issues and history. While slightly less comprehensive than some of the Southeast Asia WWW Virtual Library pages, these have the advantage of being more frequently updated. Access: http://newton.uor.edu/Departments&Programs/AsianStudiesDept/.

• Library of Congress Country Studies/Area Handbook Series. The Web site contains online versions of country studies previously published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, a program sponsored by the U.S. Army. The historical overviews are useful, but researchers should note the publication dates, as some of these works are no longer current. Access: http://memory.loc.gov/frd/cs/.

• SEAsite—Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures. This site, sponsored by Northern Illinois University (NIU), is an excellent starting place for Southeast Asian studies. The sections about countries are rich, particularly for language studies; the site hosts a number of online lecture notes and images from NIU professors, and there is a trivia quiz game. Access: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/.

• Southeast Asia WWW Virtual Library. This directory keeps track of Web information sources for the Southeast Asian section of the Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library. This is a starting place for exploration, but pages vary in how well they are maintained. The most useful information is not regional, but country specific. The site links to specific countries’ pages maintained by other participants in the WWW Virtual Library Project. Access: http://iias.leidenuniv.nl/wwwvl/southeast.html.

The site links to specific country pages maintained by other participants in the WWW Virtual Library Project:

Brunei. Access: http://www.iias.nl/wwwvl/southeas/brunei.html

Burma. Access: http://www.iias.nl/wwwvl/southeas/burma.html

Cambodia. Access: http://www.iias.nl/wwwvl/southeas/cambodia.html

Indonesia. Access: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/IndonP...-Indonesia.html

Laos. Access: http://www.global.lao.net/mainvl.htm

Malaysia. Access: http://vlib.malaysia.web1000.com/

Philippines. Access: http://www.iias.nl/wwwvl/southeas/philippi.html

Singapore. Access: http://library.berkeley.edu/SSEAL/SouthAsi.../singapore.html

Thailand. Access: http://www.nectec.or.th/WWW-VL-Thailand.html

Vietnam. Access: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVLPages/VietPa...VL-Vietnam.html

Collections and bibliographical resources

• Abia: South and Southeast Asia Art and Archeology Index. This online database continues the “Annual Bibliography of Indian Archaeology.” It indexes scholarly monographs, articles in periodicals, Ph.D. theses, and relevant grey literature in multiple languages. The interface is difficult to manage and, at the time of evaluation, the help files were not accessible. Nonetheless, a simple “all fields” search generates useful and unusual citations. Access: http://www.abia.net/.

• ANU Library Southeast Asian Serials. This database is from Australia National University in collaboration with the library of the Royal Institute of Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV) in Leiden, the Netherlands. The index covers 130 journals published in Southeast Asia (chiefly Indonesia), Australia, Europe, and the United States. The earliest entries are from 1990. Keywords for searching are in English, even when the record is for material in Indonesian or a European language. Search by title, author, keyword, or year of publication. The results include a full bibliographic record and (in some cases) options to order the source from ANU or KITLV. Access: http://database.anu.edu.au/asia/indo/new/.

• Berkeley South/Southeast Asia Library Service (SSEAL). While this site is primarily focused on the collections at University of California-Berkeley, it includes a solid women’s studies bibliography, as well as links to the major Southeast Asia journals, libraries, and book dealers. Access: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/SSEAL/SoutheastAsia/.

• Digital Asia. A cooperative project of the Ohio State University Libraries, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries, the collection consists of annotated links to freely available (but difficult to locate) Web documents that have been selected for their use in higher education and research. While the Southeast Asia portion of this collection is relatively small (under 100 items), the benefit of the database is that every item is selected and described by experts, and may be browsed or searched by keyword or by subject heading. Access: http://digitalasia.library.wisc.edu/.

• The Digital Initiative Program, University of Washington Libraries. This site hosts searchable image databases from a variety of regions including Southeast Asia on themes that include exploration, labor, art and architecture and the natural world. The databases may be browsed, searched individually or all searched at once. Images include photographs, documents, slide shows and illustrations. Access: http://content.lib.washington.edu/index.html.

• Modern Literature of Southeast Asia. This page is maintained by Teri Shaffer Yamada of Comparative World Literatures & Classics at California State University-Long Beach. It offers a selected bibliography with emphasis on short stories, and a guide for educators interested in adding Southeast Asian literature to their syllabi. Access: http://members.freespeech.org/southeast-as...ture/resources/.

• SouthEast Asia images and Texts project (SEAiT). This project began in 1995, but does not seem to have progressed very far. The concept was to create a database of images linked to descriptive text for educational purposes. To date, only photographs from the Philippines are available. They can be searched by theme, keyword, collection, and may be viewed in two different sizes. Access: http://xirs.library.wisc.edu/etext/seait/.

• World History Archives. The collection of Internet documents (including postings to electronic lists and newspaper articles) that have been saved onto the World History Archives site have been selected to support research into social history with an emphasis on the working class. Best viewed in Netscape. Access: http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/.

Media and Internet

• Asia Web Watch. A fascinating, if sometimes quirky, collection of essays and data on Web functions and users in Asia, compiled and mostly written by T. Matthew Ciolek. Access: http://www.ciolek.com/Asia-Web-Watch/main-page.html.

• Southeast Asia Media. A project of Ohio University, this site gathers information and resources on the role of media in Southeast Asian societies. It includes critical analyses of all forms of news media in Southeast Asia, with links to Web resources on media and NGOs. Access: http://www.seamedia.org/.

Biology and Geography

• ASEAN Review of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (ARBEC). This is primarily a Malaysian site, but for those interested in natural sciences, the online exhibits will be pleasing. The "multimedia atlas" is disappointingly not interactive; it is simply a set of links organized by region. The "scientific reports" are mostly lists of botanical species in various Malaysian nature preserves. There are a number of malfunctioning links on this site, but the exhibit of lizards is worth the few empty clicks. Access: http://www.arbec.com.my/.

• Southeast Asian Deltas: research and reference site. Four delta areas are covered: Ayeyarwady (still under development), Chao Phraya, Mekong, and Red River. Each area has a description of the geographical area with maps and photographs, a database of research projects, lists of specialists with e-mail contact information, and a large bibliography (a small number of papers and statistics sets can be downloaded). Access: http://www.ku.ac.th/delta/.

Individual countries

Brunei

• BruNet. This is a comprehensive Internet service offering e-mail hosting and advertising as well as listings for news, tourism, and commerce resources. Access: http://www.brunet.bn/.

• Government of Brunei Darussalam Official Web site. This site has English and Bahasa Brunei (Malay) content, with links to all the government ministries. It includes maps, an official history of the country, and online official news in both languages. Access: http://www.brunei.gov.bn/index.htm.

Burma (Myanmar)

• Bibliography of Secondary Burma Studies Literature. Created by Michael W. Charney, this is a very large PDF file (the document is more than 130 pages), so viewing it over a telephone connection is not recommended. Access: http://www.seastudies.org/burmastudies/secondary.htm.

• Free Burma. This site does not hide its political message, although it is difficult to determine who exactly maintains the page. Access: http://www.ibiblio.org/freeburma/. It is funded in part by the Soros Foundation, which hosts its own site, The Burma Project, which contains current information on human rights issues in Burma, as well as links to like-minded organizations. Access: http://www.burmaproject.org.

• Irrawaddy. This is an English-language online magazine published by exiled Burmese covering popular culture, politics, and business. There are interviews with leading intellectuals, such as Vaclav Havel and Aung San Suu Kyi. Some articles are available without subscription. The site may not load properly in Netscape browsers. Access: http://www.irrawaddy.org/.

• Myanmar.com. In contrast to the previous three sites, Myanmar.com is an officially sanctioned portal to news and government resources. Access: http://www.myanmar.com/.

• SEAsite Burmese. Part of the Northern Illinois University site, this Web page has excellent language and culture resources and a good set of links to Burmese tourism pages. Access: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Burmese/.

• Selective Works on Myanmar History, Culture, Archeology and Literature After Independence. This subject guide from the University of Washington Libraries has just arrived on the Web and is still being built. It includes full-text English-language articles in PDF format and a set of short biographies of major figures in recent Burmese history. Best viewed with Internet Explorer. Access: http://www.lib.washington.edu/asp/myanmar/main.asp.

Cambodia

• Cambodia in Modern History: Beauty and Darkness. This site is maintained by Bruce Sharp, an American who is married to a Cambodian exile. It contains a small collection of essays, personal histories (in English), and photographs documenting the Pol Pot years and its aftermath into the present time. Clearly a labor of love, it is not comprehensive, but is compelling. Access: http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/.

• Cambodian Genocide Program. On a larger scale, Yale University’s Cambodian Genocide Program documents the horror that ended 1.7 million lives. There are links to full-text newspaper and journal articles and photograph collections. The core of the site is made of up databases: a bibliographic collection containing records of nearly 3,000 primary and secondary documents dealing with atrocities in the Khmer Rouge regime; a biographic index of more than 19,000 records on Khmer Rouge military and political leaders and some victims of the Khmer Rouge; and a photographic database of more than 5,000 prisoner mug shots taken at the Tuol Sleng Prison. Access: http://www.yale.edu/cgp/.

East Timor

• Bibliography of East Timor. Bibliography of East Timor by Robert Lawless is a well-maintained online bibliography of scholarly books and articles on East Timor society and history. Access: http://coombs.anu.edu.au/Biblio/biblio_etimor.html.

• East Timor Action Group. East Timor Action Group is one of the leading organizations supporting the independence of East Timor. The main advantage of its Web site for academic users is the large set of links to other East Timor and Indonesia sites. Access: http://etan.org/resource/websites.htm.

• InfoTimor. This site is in the Portuguese language, but most of the links are in English or lead to English sites. The emphasis is on socioeconomic and demographic data. Access: http://pascal.iseg.utl.pt/~cesa/infotimor.html.

• Mother Jones East Timor Reference Section. Mother Jones East Timor Reference Section is a simply organized set of pages with basic facts about the country and a glossary. It is a nice starting place for beginners. Access: http://www.motherjones.com/east_timor/reference/.

• United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). This site contains a wealth of United Nations documents (in PDF format), a background chronology beginning in 1960, and a good-quality map of the whole island. Access: http://www.un.org/peace/etimor/etimor.htm.

Indonesia

• Atlas Mutual Heritage. Atlas Mutual Heritage is a database containing a complete survey of Dutch East India Company settlements and illustrative material of these settlements (maps, paintings, drawings, prints). It may be searched in English or Dutch. The illustrations may be viewed at different sizes. Access: http://www.atlasmutualheritage.nl/.

• Indonesia Arts. A page from Germany, it is strongest on contemporary arts and artists. The content is in both German and English. Access: http://universes-in-universe.de/asia/idn/english.htm.

• Inside Indonesia magazine. Sponsored by the Australian interest group Indonesian Resources and Information Programme, this magazine offers selected essays in English by experts on topics such as globalization and press freedom. Subscription is required for the complete set of articles. The site also hosts Indonesian-language learning activities. Access: http://insideindonesia.org/.

• Irian Jaya Mining Bibliography. This site was created by Chris Ballard in 1998. It is a comprehensive (but not current) list of publications and reports relating to mining in West Papua (or Irian Jaya). There are no links to full text. Access: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/rmap/Pages/Textonline/Biblio_ij.html.

• Kelenteng.com. This site offers a list of Chinese (Taoist) temples in Indonesia along with discussion groups and basic information about Tao. Click on the name of the temple for a photo, address, and description in Indonesian language. Access: http://www.kelenteng.com/.

• Learning and Research Site on Indonesia, Southeast Asia, and the Islamic World. Created by John MacDougall, an American expert on Indonesia, this text-only site contains a wealth of links to online publications and other resources. Slide down the page to “panel two” for the most complete list of regional publications in Indonesia to be found on the Web. Access: http://www.indopubs.com/.

• National Library of Australia Indonesia Site. This is a good starting place for Indonesian studies. It hosts and links to bibliographies, library resources, and a wide range of Internet sites. Access: http://www.nla.gov.au/asian/indo/indsites.html.

• Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. The Indonesia section of this collection hosts 15 current and 4 historical (colonial era) maps in large JPEG image files. Access:

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/indonesia.html.

• Pramoedya Ananta Toer. This personal Web site by Alex G. Bardsley is dedicated to Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. It contains photos, biographical and bibliographical information, essays and interviews in translation, news reports and book reviews, abstracts, articles and letters, library holdings, and a list of publishers. Access: http://www.radix.net/~bardsley/prampage.html.

SearchIndonesia. A Yahoo-like directory in English and Indonesian, this is mainly useful for finding businesses that have a Web presence. Access: http://searchindonesia.com/.

• Sejarah Indonesia. This year-by-year timeline of Indonesian history from 1500 to the present was created by Charles A. Gimon, an American entrepreneur. The timeline text is in English with illustrations. There is no bibliography or references cited list. Access: http://www.gimonca.com/sejarah/.

• TempoInteraktif. This is a major news analysis Web page, a spin-off from the Tempo weekly magazine. It is available in English, Japanese, and Indonesian. It covers current events in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, complete with letters to the editors and cartoons. Access: http://www.tempointeractive.com/index,uk.asp.

• West Papua Information Kit. This is a Web version of a publication produced in 1995 by the Australia West Papua Association in Sydney. While it has not been updated, it still provides useful historical background, a map, and photographs from this contested section of the world. Access: http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/cline/papua/.

Laos

• Lao Study Review. This is an online journal of the Lao Studies Society, which was established in 1991. Access: http://www.global.lao.net/laostudy/laostudy.htm.

• Lao Vision Magazine. This site, produced by expatriates in the United States, focuses on the concerns of expatriates, including maintaining cultural heritage. Each issue must be downloaded in PDF to be read. Access: http://www.laovision.net/.

• Vientiane Times (the official paper). (Access: http://www.vientianetimes.gov.la/). This site is not to be confused with the commercial site VientianeTimes.com , which bills itself as “the gateway to democracy” and carries news of a more critical bent, and has a much more complete set of links to Lao commercial, cultural, and political Web sites. Access: http://www.vientianetimes.com/Others.html.

• WWW Hmong Homepage. This site is an Asian Studies WWW Virtual Library Associate, created by Americans Craig Rice and Robin Vue-Benson. It offers sources for Hmong history and culture, with a dual emphasis on American educators and the social needs of the American Hmong community. Access: http://www.hmongnet.org/.

Malaysia

• Malaysia Kini. This site offers independent, alternative news in English and Malaysian. Only the last seven days are available without a paid subscription. Access: http://www.malaysiakini.com/.

• Orang Asli Archive. Produced by Keene State College, the Orang Asli Archive is a repository for unpublished documents, films, tapes, and other recordings relevant to the indigenous people of peninsular Malaysia. The Web site carries a map and population statistics for orang asli, a small number of full-text articles, and information about the collection at Keene State. Access: http://www.keene.edu/library/orangasli/.

• Sejarah Melayu. This site hosts a history of the Malay Peninsula in English with lovely images but no references. The links section offers connections to Malay libraries and historical and travel sites. Unfortunately, this site comes with pop-up ads. Access: http://malaya.org.uk/ .

Philippines

• Tagalog 2002. Tagalog 2002 is much more than a language resource. There are English-language essays on contemporary culture, a bibliography of core titles, and a guide for school teachers, as well as language lessons, grammar, glossaries, poems, songs, short stories, riddles, and more in Tagalog. Access: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_mainpage.htm.

• Mindanao Homepage. This is a commercial site, but the virtual city tours (not interactive) cover more information than most, including maps, local sites of interest, and local history. Access: http://www.mindanao.com/.

• WWW-VL History: The Philippines. This site is part of the History Virtual Library. It is well organized and links to sites that would otherwise be difficult to find, but some of the links are no longer active. Access: http://www.ukans.edu/history/VL/oceania/philippines.html.

Singapore

• KnowledgeNet Singapore. This site bills itself as the “Authoritative Singapore History Site.” It bases the authority in part on its association with the National Archives of Singapore. This sophisticated site presents multiple databases of text and images through three major entryways: biographies, landscapes, and chronologies. There is also a forum for students, an e-journal with full- text articles (some of them reprinted from published sources), and links to a small number of unusual Singapore history Web pages (such as the Germans in Singapore). Access: http://www.knowledgenet.com.sg/.

• Little Speck. This is a quirky news and analysis site created by Singapore journalist Seah Chiang Nee. It includes editorials that he originally published in the Malaysian newspaper Sunday Star as well as selected articles from a variety of international news sources. The "Ideas" section has commentary on topics such as e-slang and how to ask for a raise. There is even a humor section with the kind of jokes you wish your colleagues would quit forwarding. The page can be slow to load. Access: http://www.littlespeck.com/.

• National University of Singapore Digital Library. This collection includes original documents and bibliographies. PDF files include an 1830’s travel diary and a Chinese-language newspaper. Best of all is Tim Yap Fuan’s “A Sense of History: a select bibliography on the history of Singapore” (based on the print edition of 1998), as well as a bibliography of Singapore literary criticism. Access: http://www.lib.nus.edu.sg/ecoll/projects.html.

• Singapore Public and Contemporary Art. This is a personal page of Peter Schoppert, a publisher and entrepreneur in Singapore. The site hosts a set of dramatic photographs of public art in Singapore with commentary. The pages do not load well in Netscape and older browsers. Access: http://www.nusantara.com/.

Thailand

• Information on 76 Provinces. Hosted by the royal Golden Jubilee Network, this site contains images and descriptions of cultural life in each province. Access: http://kanchanapisek.or.th/kp8/oncc/.

• Leeds Thai Politics Bibliography. This comprehensive (but not current) bibliography of books and articles (no links to full text) was produced in 1998 by Michael Nelson of the University of Leeds. Access: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/thaipol/thaibibl.htm.

• Thai Fiction in Translation. Created by Marcel Barang, a journalist living in Thailand, this site offers a menu of Thai short stories, novels, or excerpts that have been translated into French or English. Access: http://www.thaifiction.com/.

• Thailand Asia Dragons. This is a Yahoo-like commercial gateway to a large collection of Web sites from and about Thailand with an emphasis on commerce. Pop-up ads, unfortunately, are part of the site. Access: http://thailand.asiadragons.com/

• Yao Religious Culture Bibliography. Created by Barend ter Haar in Leiden, this bibliography covers scholarship of the Chinese and Thai regions of the Yao people. Many of the citations are in European languages. Access: http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/bth/yao.htm.

Vietnam

• Indochina Arts Partnership. This site is the result of a partnership between U.S. and Vietnamese cultural institutions. The Web page carries a calendar of arts events, lists of artists and exhibitions, one online exhibition, and links to related Web sites. It uses graphics heavily and does not appear to work on some Netscape browsers. Access: http://www.iapone.org/.

• VietFile. This is an annotated list of selected cultural and informational sources in English, French, Vietnamese, and a few other languages. More selective than Vietgate. Access: http://www.kreative.net/toan/viet.html.

• Vietgate. This is a Yahoo-like gateway to Vietnam-related Web sites. It offers a search engine, business pages, and through the VietHoo directory, links to cultural, literary, and historical sites. Access: http://www.vietgate.net/.

• Vietnam: Yesterday & Today. Created by Sandra Wittman, Professor Emeritus at Oakton Community College, this site is a good starting place for beginning students interested in the Vietnam War. While the emphasis is on the war, there are also sections devoted to contemporary Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The well-designed research help pages will be of use to beginning high school and college students. Access: http://servercc.oakton.edu/~wittman.

• Vietnamese Economic Network (VECON). An excellent resource for studies that involve social or economic data. Created by T. T. Nguyen, this site hosts links to a wide range of electronic lists, databases, bibliographies (in pdf), and related resources. Some pages have not been updated recently. Access: http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~vecon/index.html.

• Vietnamese Language Homepage. From Arizona State University, this page has links to online language learning resources. Access: http://www.public.asu.edu/~ickpl/.

• Vietnamese Literature. This site hosts images and sound files of Vietnamese poetry and song. It is entirely in Vietnamese, but that shouldn't matter because it is wonderful to listen to even if you don't understand the language. Click on an icon for a sound file. Access: http://thanglong.ece.jhu.edu/vhvn.html.

• Vietnamese Perspectives on the War in Vietnam. This is a book-length annotated bibliography of works in English as of 1996. Hosted on the Web by Yale University and written by John C. Schafer of Humboldt State University, it is well designed and easy to navigate. An excellent teaching resource. Access: http://www.yale.edu/seas/bibliography/.

• The Tay Son Rebellion. This site was created by George Dutton, assistant professor at UCLA. It offers everything most researchers will need to know about late 18th-century Vietnam. The site includes a chronology, historical narrative, short biographies of major figures, and lists of source documents. There are no images aside from a few maps. Access: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/ealc/fac...ton/TSHome.html.

About the Author

Lisa Klopfer is a librarian and assistant professor at Eastern Michigan University, e-mail: [email protected]

dont remember how i got to this index but have used some sites.... maybe i should write to this woman also and thank her for consolidating lots of info,

gazchiangmai, thanx also for additional recommendations!!

what are the 'chronicles'??

Edited May 23, 2005 by bina

[Thomas_Merton]

curiouser and curioiuser camerata....

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

First off, I think this thread should be pinned. There is a lot of valuable information here that should not be allowed to sink into the archives.

(Also from a simply PR point of view, promoting serious SEA studies, can only help Thaivisa's reputation).

Have you contacted the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University - http://www.soas.ac.uk/SouthEastAsia/Thai.html ?

[camerata]

curiouser and curioiuser camerata....

i've not met the guy; just wrote to him practically begging him to help me find a way to study SEA studies in israel.. NO GO... there isn't any... so he just passed me on to the 'white lotus' which has an amazing book site...

however, i am learning more and more about him from really coincidental ways.... and what were u doing in wooden bungalows in the '70's????

Since I was trying to stay in Thailand as long as possible on a tiny budget, bungalows were about the only way to go. A "bungalow" was actually just a single room in a wooden house. You had to shower out in the yard in a phakhaoma with all the mosquitos.

This particular area was mostly inhabited by girls who free-lanced at the Thermae and the Grace Hotel coffee shops, which is presumably why Erik chose to stay there. I remember he once showed me a draft report he'd written on tourist prostitution in the kingdom, but I don't know if it was ever published.

At that time, a tourist visa was only 30 days. To get an extension (initially 21 days, then 10 days each time to a maximum of 3 months) you had to have a compelling reason. So I would take one of my female neighbours down to Suan Phlu Immigration each time and say we were intending to marry.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Another interesting book is "Old Bangkok" by Michael Smithies.

I have just read a copy of the 1986 edition, but another edition is about to be

published (in Britain anyway) by Oxford University Press.

He discusses the early development of the city, and of the palaces and wats in particular.

Some very evocative pictures in it too, showing Bangkok in the late 19th century.

Well worth a look if you are interested in the subject.

[sonnyJ]

There's a new publication (April, 2005) by Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit:

A History of Thailand. ISBN: 0521016479. It should be about the last three centuries, hopefully including more recent history too. Wyatts: Short History is good but ends in 1980's.

Usually these guys write economical stuff about Thailand like, politics, corruption, prostitution and drugs trade, and economics. I have read few of these later books and liked them, very informative works.

[camerata]

There's a new publication (April, 2005) by Chris Baker, Pasuk Phongpaichit:

Usually these guys write economical stuff about Thailand like, politics, corruption, prostitution and drugs trade, and economics. I have read few of these later books and liked them, very informative works.

According to the Bangkok Post, they are now busy doing a translation of Thailand's classic novel Khun Chang Khun Phaen.

[Artisi]

"First off, I think this thread should be pinned. There is a lot of valuable information here that should not be allowed to sink into the archives."

I second this suggestion - some great info contained here.

[jomama]

Other books I liked on the region were McCoy's "Politics of Heroin in SE Asia" and Seagrave's "Lords of the Rim," about the overseas Chinese.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with both of these. I think McCoy's book was written in the '70s but is still the "bible" on the Golden Triangle, including the Vietnam War era. Seagrave's book is invaulable in understanding the impact that immigrant Chinese have had on the economy and politics of modern Thailand.

[joe beets]

Bump.

In lieu of a pin.

I believe this motion has been seconded and we are awaiting some action from one so empowered.

Please pin.

Thanks -

jb