Southeast Asia in a New Era: Ten Countries, One Region in ASEAN

Southeast Asia in a New Era: Ten Countries, One Region in ASEAN
Date of publication:  2010
Publisher:  Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Number of pages:  281
Code:  BM371

Reviews

"This excellent volume represents a concerted effort to spread the knowledge and understanding of ASEAN beyond the purview of politicians, diplomats and business persons to the wider public, especially the new generation of youthful citizens of Southeast Asia, born in an era of relative peace and reduced uncertainties. Bearing in mind that the volume is meant to be used as a textbook by educators at senior high schools and as introductory material at the college level, each chapter not only lists a chronology of historical events but also has a section on 'questions for discussion'. This allows the volume to be easily adopted for classroom use in any educational setting. The chapters tell the story of a region that has been swept by all the major global trends of history. While making the young reader appreciate the long journey being taken by ASEAN to create a regional consensus for peaceful security, the avoidance of wars, and economic well-being, this well-crafted book makes them empowered to dream of a better future" (Asia Europe Journal).

About the publication

This book is about Southeast Asia in a new era. This new era began with a new century and a new millennium posing great challenges to the region and to each country in it. It has a chapter on each of the ten countries in the region, covering both the politics and the economic aspects. It has one on the region as a whole, and one on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It has a thoughtful afterword that is a summary of its contents but is more than the sum of the individual chapters. Many books and chapters of books have been written on Southeast Asia, usually by external observers. Aside from being up-to-date, this book is different from most of them in several ways. Most of the chapters are written by Southeast Asians; indeed, most of the country-chapters are written by natives of those countries. This means that the perspectives are based on local insights, which provide nuance and sensitivity. The book is addressed primarily to the young people of Southeast Asia, so that they can get to know their neighbours better. Each chapter has a guide to further reading and a series of questions to provoke further research and deeper inquiry.

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