This lively survey of the peoples, cultures, and societies of Southeast Asia introduces a region of tremendous geographic, linguistic, historical, and religious diversity. Encompassing both mainland and island countries, these engaging essays describe personhood and identity, family and household organization, nation-states, religion, popular culture and the arts, the legacies of war and recovery, globalization, and the environment. Throughout, the focus is on the daily lives and experiences of ordinary people. Most of the essays are original to this volume, while a few are widely taught classics. All were chosen for their timeliness and interest, and are ideally suited for the classroom.

Written for both general readers and specialists, this book explores how modern, urban Southeast Asians view and manage their social life. By comparing the ways they live with their religious representations, with intimate and more distant others, and with their rapidly changing environment, the author demonstrates the marked similarities in the perception of individual and society in three civilisations along the inner littoral of Southeast Asia, irrespective of the great religious diversity that appears to characterise the region.For more than thirty years Dr Niels Mulder has been actively engaged with life in Java, Thailand, and the Philippines. As an independent anthropologist, he now focuses on the factors that fuel the cultural dynamics of contemporary Southeast Asia. His books include Inside Indonesian Society: Cultural Change in Java; Inside Thai Society: Religion, Everyday Life, Change; Inside Philippine Society: Interpretations of Everyday Life; and Thai Images: The Culture of the Public World

Recent changes in the global economy and in Southeast Asian national political economies have led to new forms of commodity production and new commodities. Using insights from political economy and commodity studies, the essays in Taking Southeast Asia to Market trace the myriad ways recent alignments among producers, distributors, and consumers are affecting people and nature throughout the region. In case studies ranging from coffee and hardwood products to mushroom pickers and Vietnamese factory workers, the authors detail the Southeast Asian articulations of these processes while also discussing the broader implications of these shifts. Taken together, the cases show how commodities illuminate the convergence of changing social forces in Southeast Asia today, as they transform the terms, practices, and experiences of everyday life and politics in the global economy.

Over the last half-century, Southeast Asia has undergone innumerable, far-reaching changes that have consequences not only for large-scale institutions and processes, but also for everyday life. This book focuses on the topic of power in relation to these transformations, and looks at its various social, cultural, religious, economic and political forms. Consisting of empirically rich case studies, the book works from the ground up, seeking to capture Southeast Asians' own perspectives, conceptualizations and experiences of power.

Despite its extraordinary diversity of ethnicities, religions, and political systems, Southeast Asia plays a key role in global economies and geopolitics, especially in light of its strategic position bordering China and India.

In this empirically rich collection of essays, a team of leading international scholars explore the way that economic transformation is sustained and challenged by everyday practices across Southeast Asia. Drawing together a body of interdisciplinary scholarship, the authors explore how the emergence of more marketized forms of economic policy-making in Southeast Asia impacts everyday life. The book's twelve chapters address topics such as domestic migration, trade union politics in Myanmar, mining in the Philippines, halal food in Singapore, Islamic finance in Malaysia, education reform in Indonesia, street vending in Malaysia, regional migration between Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia, and Southeast Asian domestic workers in Hong Kong. This collection not only enhances understandings of the everyday political economies at work in specific Southeast Asian sites, but makes a major theoretical contribution to the development of an everyday political economy approach in which perspectives from developing economies and non-Western actors are taken seriously.

Explore the fascinating history of south-east Asia A Short History of South-East Asia, Sixth Edition is the latest in a series of updated texts spotlighting this fascinating region. With revised chapters for all of the countries in this geographic area, this interesting text paints a remarkable overview of the characters and events that have shaped this part of the world. Founded upon a deeply perceptive observation of the late founding Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew, this book brings shape to the idea that 'to understand the present and to anticipate the future, one must know enough of the past, enough to have a sense of the history of a people.' With an approachable writing style and comprehensive content, this unique text was written for business readers interested in improving their understanding of this important region. With globalization continuing to gain momentum, south-east Asia is emerging as an important business sector for many industries. Not only does this open up professional opportunities, it exposes individuals in other parts of the world to the unique histories and cultures of the area. If you are interested in learning more about the region, this abbreviated text is a wonderful resource. Explore historic and political developments that have taken place throughout south-east Asia Quickly navigate text organized by country, allowing you to dive into the events that have shaped Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam Gain an important global perspective, which can prove valuable on personal and professional levels Leverage your new understanding of the region's past to better understand its present and anticipate its future A Short History of South-East Asia, Sixth Edition is an abbreviated history of south-east Asia written with business readers in mind.