Perseus Academic: Southeast Asia by D R SarDesai

“Quite frankly, there is no textbook on the market today that compares in depth, acumen, currency, and readability”—Arnold P. Kaminsky, California State University, Long Beach

Praise for the Prior Edition:

“This 6th edition of SarDesai’s Southeast Asia provides what most books on the region’s history do not—a concise, comprehensive, and up-to-date study of the major historical developments in Southeast Asia from ancient times to 2008. It is also different in that it traces the history of all eleven Southeast Asian nations, conveys the region’s complexity and diversity, and includes chronological charts. With its contents succinctly divided into four main parts, to cover Cultural Heritage, Colonial Interlude, Nationalist Response, and Fruits of Freedom, the book is especially useful for survey courses on Southeast Asian history.”
—Pamela Sodhy, Georgetown University

“SarDesai provides the most comprehensive and complete, yet organized and accessible, single volume history for students of Southeast Asia. Tackling both Southeast Asia’s fascinating diversity and its deep cultural and material coherence, the author skillfully places the various national narratives into a clear regional analysis. This excellent work covers the region from the pre-historic origins of complex society and early state formation to the current threat of international terrorism and other challenges of the early 21st century. SarDesai excels in balancing his focus between Southeast Asia’s indigenous historical development and the waves of foreign cultural, economic, colonial, military, and ideological interventions that have shaped the region over the centuries.”
—Michael G. Vann, California State University, Sacramento

“I am pleased to see a new edition of SarDesai’s Southeast Asia. I have counted on previous editions of the book to be ambitious, thorough, and informative. This edition is no exception. It is the most useful text I have used. I am happy to see its conscientious attention to the pre-colonial era, as well as its masterful coverage of colonial and modern periods. It is a useful resource for students and scholars alike. SarDesai is able to convey the significance of the region historically and geographically. This point is enhanced by his careful attention to recent events in the sixth edition. His depiction of the often calamitous and occasionally promising recent events—from the tsunami to the Bali nightclub bombing to the bird flu situation to the relaxation of the Aceh independence movement—testifies to the dynamism of the region and its abiding significance in world affairs.”
—William J. McCarthy, University of North Carolina, Wilmington