Southeast Asia History....book Refferals ?

[Teak]

Anyone interested in posting the titles of books they have read concerning the history of Southeast Asia ?

I am sure most of us have a stack of them.

[masuk]

Oxford Press have an excellent series, (Oxford in Asia). They were never cheap, and it was painful to have to give these away before moving to Thailand.

There are numerous publishers who specialise in Asian History.

Possibly a Google search will give you plenty of titles. Here's one.

http://www.cambridge...te_locale=en_US

I prefer ebooks as there is no postage and instant delivery, apart from being much cheaper than printed versions.

[Teak]

I just finished an ebook called Traders of the Golden Triangle / Cognoscenti Books.com out of Chiengmai. It has to do with the history of Chin Haw .

starting in the 1300's in Yunnan Province and with some Haw/Hui ending up in Mae Salong. Interesting that the author combed through many regional histories and compiled a singular book dedicated to the Haw.

Another title of interest to me is Teak Walla by Reginald Campbell, concerning teak logging in Thailand.

[CMHomeboy78]

The literature is extensive.

Probably the best overview of the subject is A History of Southeast Asia. D.G.E. Hall. First published in 1955.

My copy is the 4th edition. 1981. There may be later ones.

Hall was a professor of history at the University of London. As a general outline of the history of this area his book has never been surpassed.

For information on the 1880's campaigns against the Jeen Haw in Northern Thailand and Laos see Surveying and Exploring in Siam. James McCarthy. Reprint: White Lotus. Bangkok. 1994.

And there is much more out there.

Edited December 31, 2012 by CMHomeboy78

[masuk]

uh oh. looks like I might be starting a new collection.

I have been trying to buy only ebooks, and have about 1500 asstd titles on my Kindle. So much easier to travel and also to archive (on my computer).

[Teak]

I enjoyed reading about McCarthy and trying to decipher those triangulation maps.

The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U is quite good. The author is the grandson of former UN secretary U Thant.

This book also tells of the Haw / Hui invasions into Burma from Yunnan.

[Mekong Bob]

I enjoyed reading about McCarthy and trying to decipher those triangulation maps.

The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U is quite good. The author is the grandson of former UN secretary U Thant.

This book also tells of the Haw / Hui invasions into Burma from Yunnan.

Chinese Haw invasions into Burma? Are you referring to the Kuomintang (Nationalist Army of China) 93rd Division? 1949- ?

The Yunnanese traders were sojourners in the Shan State of Burma, Northern Thailand, and Northwestern Laos long before 1949, as reported by Andrew Forbes, Ann Maxwell, et al. Many of these ethnic Chinese traders were Muslim (Hui).

[Dante99]

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia

by James C. Scott

[crusader79]

John Keay's Mad About the Mekong comes to mind, about the rather disastrous French expedition of 1866-68.

[chiangmaibruce]

My publisher, Silkworm Books, has a number of books that may be of interest to you

[uptheos]

I can recommend Cambodia 1975 - 1982 by Michael Vickery, which looks at the history of Cambodia from the formation to the end of the Pol Pot regime.

You might be interested in this pdf file, it's heavy going but interesting in parts (and free).

http://michaelvickery.org/vickery2010kicking.pdf

[Genericnic]

I can recommend Cambodia 1975 - 1982 by Michael Vickery, which looks at the history of Cambodia from the formation to the end of the Pol Pot regime.

You might be interested in this pdf file, it's heavy going but interesting in parts (and free).

http://michaelvicker...2010kicking.pdf

He lost me with the first sentence where he said "After the US had unleashed its Pearl Harbor equivalent on Iraq in 1991, and celebrating what seemed a glorious victory in the Persian Gulf War, George Bush , the then President of the US, jumped up and down in glee, screaming “We’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome”. If he can compare the the 1991 military action in Kuwait and Iraq to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it would seem that he has little knowledge of the history surrounding the Pearl Harbor attack. I would suggest that he read The Attack on Pearl Harbor by Alan D. Zimm, for example, or other historical accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. He might even take a look at the Wikipedia article on the The Gulf War aka Operation Desert Storm to learn that The Gulf War was a United Nations sanctioned effort consisting of forces or resources from 34 countries. The Gulf War was the result of Iraq's invasion and attempted annexation of Kuwait. The build-up and ensuing battle was hardly a secret or a surprise attack, unlike the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Unlike Mr. Vickery, I see no resemblance between the two.

With that said, I would be inclined to take Mr. Vickery's thoughts on Southeast Asia (or more specifically Cambodia in the case of this writing) with a large grain of salt.

David

[uptheos]

I can recommend Cambodia 1975 - 1982 by Michael Vickery, which looks at the history of Cambodia from the formation to the end of the Pol Pot regime.

You might be interested in this pdf file, it's heavy going but interesting in parts (and free).

http://michaelvicker...2010kicking.pdf

He lost me with the first sentence where he said "After the US had unleashed its Pearl Harbor equivalent on Iraq in 1991, and celebrating what seemed a glorious victory in the Persian Gulf War, George Bush , the then President of the US, jumped up and down in glee, screaming “We’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome”. If he can compare the the 1991 military action in Kuwait and Iraq to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it would seem that he has little knowledge of the history surrounding the Pearl Harbor attack. I would suggest that he read The Attack on Pearl Harbor by Alan D. Zimm, for example, or other historical accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. He might even take a look at the Wikipedia article on the The Gulf War aka Operation Desert Storm to learn that The Gulf War was a United Nations sanctioned effort consisting of forces or resources from 34 countries. The Gulf War was the result of Iraq's invasion and attempted annexation of Kuwait. The build-up and ensuing battle was hardly a secret or a surprise attack, unlike the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Unlike Mr. Vickery, I see no resemblance between the two.

With that said, I would be inclined to take Mr. Vickery's thoughts on Southeast Asia (or more specifically Cambodia in the case of this writing) with a large grain of salt.

David

I know what you mean David, there's a jungle of literature on SEA out there and it's almost impossible to know the truth.

[Teak]

"Chinese Haw invasions into Burma? Are you referring to the Kuomintang (Nationalist Army of China) 93rd Division? 1949- ?"

No, the 1287 invasion. Technically a Mongol invasion, but staffed by Hui and repulsed by the Burmans.

The Haw/Hui moved (unopposed) into Wa Land (Panglong) in the 1850's after the Panthay Rebellion in Yunnan. Later the fleeing KMT pushed them out and the Wa regained control.

[ChrisB87]

Does anyone know of a decent (objective, not bias) history book on Thailand, which goes into reasonable detail on all periods of Thai history, including some detail on how it all started (i.e Khmer empire etc etc.)?

Thanks

[CMHomeboy78]

Does anyone know of a decent (objective, not bias) history book on Thailand, which goes into reasonable detail on all periods of Thai history, including some detail on how it all started (i.e Khmer empire etc etc.)?

Thanks

Thailand: A Short History

David K. Wyatt

Silkworm Books. Chiang Mai. 1984

Wyatt, a Cornell academic also translated the Chiang Mai Chronicle, the Nan Chronicle, and is the author of many other books and articles on Thai, and especially Lanna Thai history.

[Johpa]

Wyatt's book is probably the best starting point and can easily be found. Another book more difficult to find would be Charles "Biff" Keyes book "The Golden Peninsula: Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia" which includes a greater geographical range than Wyatt's and comes from the perspective of an anthropologist. Both books have extensive bibliographies which include the classic tomes such as Hall's and Cœdès.

[NaiGreg]

Does anyone know of a decent (objective, not bias) history book on Thailand, which goes into reasonable detail on all periods of Thai history, including some detail on how it all started (i.e Khmer empire etc etc.)?

Thanks

You might like A History of Thailand by Baker and Phongpaichit (Cambridge)

Although it covers all time periods, it really is more focused on the 19th and 20th centuries.

[ChrisB87]

Thanks guys! I will check out those ones!

[Puwa]

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia

by James C. Scott

Also by James Scott: Weapons of the Weak, and The Moral Economy of the Peasant (for understanding the 20th century transformation of traditional agriculture in SE Asia)

Melford Spiro: Buddhism: a Great Tradition and its Burmese Vicissitudes, and Burmese Supernaturalism (still the best works on Theravada Buddhism).

Edmund Leach: Political Systems of Highland Burma (dense but seminal).

Stanley Tambiah: Buddhist Saints of the Forest and teh Cult of the Amulets (popular Buddhism in Thailand)

Pasuk Pongpaichitr and Chris Baker: Corruption and Democracy in Thailand, as well as their other work

James Fahn: Land on Fire (recent environment issues in Thailand).

And for literature that also gives insight to recent history,

Pira Sudham: Monsoon Country, People of Issan

Chart Kobjitti: The Judgment

Khonkhai Khammaan: The Teachers of Mad Dog Swamp

[harrry]

My publisher, Silkworm Books, has a number of books that may be of interest to you

It looks as though Narin Phasit the subject of one of the books on the list would make a good TV member