ABSTRACT
Development, in its most recent incarnation, began spreading to Southeast Asia in the wake of the Second World War. Prior to this period, however, Southeast Asia had a long history of civilisations, kingdoms and communities that were evolving in response to internal and external forces. This chapter explores the evolution of Southeast Asia up until the independence period and looks at the types of development challenges independent states inherited from previous eras. Attention is directed to indigenous empires and their early contact with foreign powers, the influence of pre-colonial European contact upon international trade routes through the region, and the later more formal period of European colonialism. It was during these periods that the territorial boundaries of modern Southeast Asian states were delineated, their positions within global economies confirmed, and the early roots of modern geographic and social inequality were emerging. Through these periods the transformation of Southeast Asian societies can be observed, from their indigenous values and styles of governance to modern nation-states with apparatuses and imaginaries oriented towards the pursuit, promises and dreams of development.
