ABSTRACT
The incorporation of South East Asia into the emergent global capitalist system took place under the auspices of colonial economic and, except for Thailand, political control. By the end of the colonial period for much of South East Asia an extremely uneven pattern of development had emerged. South East Asia in the pre-colonial period exhibited a rich mosaic of cultures. Many aspects of South East Asia’s uneven development have been long established. In the writings of L. Trotsky uneven development is also related to the concept of 'combined development'; however, this has faded into the background. Trotsky broadened the concept, referring to the ‘law of uneven development’ and presenting it as a universal principle, but also a basic and distinctive feature of capitalist development. Uneven development is most clearly and frequently depicted in spatial terms; however, this is only one manifestation of the various processes that promote and perpetuate unevenness.
