The Transformation of Southeast Asia: International Perspectives on Decolonization

Decolonization is an important aspect of Southeast Asia's history, and the events during and after the transition to independence were crucial to shaping the region during the second half of the twentieth century. This account of political, economic, and cultural currents of the "post-colonial" era contributes to an understanding of decolonization as more than simply a transfer of power.

The collection brings together research by European, American and Asian scholars who provide various perspectives on decolonization and the trajectories followed by Southeast Asian states in the post-colonial era. In probing the events leading to independence and the struggle of the new nation states to achieve political acceptance and economic stability, the authors consider such issues as economic development, cultural policy, nation building, ideology, race and modernization.