History of the State System in Southeast Asia

This course will trace the emergence of the international order in Southeast Asia. It will examine the different types of polity that have been established in the region, and how they defined relations with their neighbours and with the more distant civilisations of China, India and the Muslim world. The course will examine the series of transformations in Southeast Asia's 'international' system which European colonial powers brought about, and will consider Southeast Asia's influence on the emergence of the global international relations system. Particular attention will be given to the dynamic of decolonisation – to the transformation of political identities and the assumptions about state identity and international relations which shaped the present configuration of the region. The course will conclude with a consideration of the making of the post-colonial state system in Southeast Asia, including the creation of the ASEAN regional architecture and attempts to build a regional security community. In assuming a historical perspective, the course will suggest ways in which the heritage of ideas about community – and relations between communities – continues to shadow 'international relations' in the region today.