In 1811, an army of 10,000 British redcoats splashed ashore through the muddy shallows off Batavia (now Jakarta) to conquer the Dutch colony of Java. They would remain there for five turbulent years. Drawing on both British and Javanese archival sources, this narrative history-cum-biography explores the bloody battles and furious controversies that marked British rule in Java, and reveals the future founder of Singapore, Thomas Stamford Raffles in a shocking new light.
Why did independent Singapore celebrate two hundred years of its founding as a British colony in 2019? What does Merdeka mean for Singaporeans? And what are the possibilities of doing decolonial history in Singapore? Raffles Renounced: Towards a Merdeka History presents essays by historians, literary scholars and artists which grapple with these questions. The volume also reproduces some of the source material used in the play Merdeka / 獨立 / சுதந்திரம் (Wild Rice, 2019). Taken together, the book shows how the contradictions of independent nationhood haunt Singaporeans' collective and personal stories about Merdeka. It points to the need for a Merdeka history: an open and fearless culture of historical reckoning that not only untangles us from colonial narratives, but proposes emancipatory possibilities.
Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of the World's Largest Archipelago Indonesia is by far the largest nation in Southeast Asia and has the fourth largest population in the world after the United States. Indonesian history and culture are especially relevant today as the Island nation is an emerging power in the region with a dynamic new leader. It is a land of incredible diversity and unending paradoxes that has a long and rich history stretching back a thousand years and more. Indonesia is the fabled "Spice Islands" of every school child's dreams--one of the most colorful and fascinating countries in history. These are the islands that Europeans set out on countless voyages of discovery to find and later fought bitterly over in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. This was the land that Christopher Columbus sought, and Magellan actually reached and explored. One tiny Indonesian island was even exchanged for the island of Manhattan in 1667! This fascinating history book tells the story of Indonesia as a narrative of kings, traders, missionaries, soldiers and revolutionaries, featuring stormy sea crossings, fiery volcanoes, and the occasional tiger. It recounts the colorful visits of foreign travelers who have passed through these shores for many centuries--from Chinese Buddhist pilgrims and Dutch adventurers to English sea captains and American movie stars. For readers who want an entertaining introduction to Asia's most fascinating country, this is delightful reading.
This is the first and most important book about the Island of Java and is essential reading for anyone interested in Javanese history and culture. Originally published in 1811, Island of Java was the first popular work in English to describe what for many centuries was the most important island in the vast Indonesian archipelago. Like most works published during this time, Island of Java recounts everything that was known at the time about the island and its inhabitants. Detailed descriptions are given of Java's ecology, history and culture, including methods of tribute and tazation used by the Dutch colonists and the design of the fortifications surrounding Batavia. Also described are such things as the dining habits of the Dutch administrators, the execution of thirteen of the ruler's concubines in Surakarta, and the notorious Upas or "Poison Tree of Java", believed to exude a foul odor which routinely annihilated all living things for miles around. This reprint is enhanced by a scholarly Introduction by Dr. John Bastin, former Reader at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and a world authority on nineteenth century Java.
In 1819 Sir Stamford Raffles, without authority from London, raised the British flag on a small jungle-covered island and founded a settlement which would become the city state of Singapore. It was the crowning moment in an extraordinary career in South-East Asia, which saw Raffles shake off his humble beginnings to become Lieutenant-Governor of Java. But his success in the tropics was overshadowed by professional conflict and personal tragedy. Acclaimed biographer Victoria Glendinning charts the extraordinary life of an English adventurer, disobedient employee of the East India Company, utopian imperialist, linguist, naturalist, collector and troublesome visionary. If Raffles' own end was tragic, the mark he left on the world is indelible. His name and fame are undimmed today and, as he hoped, Singapore has become his lasting monument.
Originally published in 1815, Major William Thorn's The Conquest of Java describes the military and naval elements of the British expeditionary force to Java in 1811. It was a time of unrest in Europe. Napoleon was at the height of his power and had taken control of Holland and its colonies in Asia. In August 1810, Britain's Lord Minto, Governor General of India, was ordered by the English East India Company to expel "the enemy" from the Island of Java. On August 4, 1811 a fleet of 100 British ships, carrying 12,000 soldiers, landing in the Bay of Batavia. Among the landing party was the ambitious young company employee from Penang who originally masterminded the plan to take Java, and become Lieutenant–Governor of the island at the tender age of 30. This was none other than Thomas Stamford Raffles who, eight years later, would found Singapore. The Conquest of Java provides a unique and scrupulously detailed account of the British military campaign to wrest control of the island. Written by an officer who took part, Major William Thorn, and lavishly illustrated with 35 color plates, this historically important book provides a wealth of statistical and anecdotal information about Java and its environs.
On 6 February 1819, Stamford Raffles, William Farquhar, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Sultan Hussein signed a treaty that granted the British East India Company the right to establish a trading settlement on the sparsely populated island of Singapore. Forbidden Hill (Singapore Saga, Vol. 1) is a meticulously researched and vividly imagined historical narrative that brings to life the stories of the early European, Malay, Chinese and Indian pioneers––the administrators, merchants, policemen, boatmen, coolies, concubines, slaves and secret society soldiers––whose vision and intrigues drive the rapid expansion of the port city in the early decades of the nineteenth century. While Raffles and Farquhar clash over the administration of the settlement, the Scottish merchant adventurer Ronnie Simpson and Englishwoman Sarah Hemmings find love and redemption as they battle an American duelist and Illanun pirates. As the ghosts of the rajahs of the ancient city of Singapura fade into the shadows of Forbidden Hill, the new settlers forge their linked destinies in the ‘emporium of the Eastern seas’.
This book explores colonial debates on race, liberalism, colonial expansion and equality in South-East Asia, focusing on the writings of John Crawfurd, one of the British Empire’s leading racial theorists and colonial administrators in Asia.
Whether readers are planning a trip to Bali or just fantasizing about one, Journey Through Indonesia makes for an unforgettable Indonesia travel guide. With hundreds of full-color photographs, Journey Through Indonesia takes readers on a tour of the world's most magnificent archipelago, a vast island nation with all the diversity of an entire continent. This vibrantly illustrated book is the perfect introduction to this most colorful of countries, for both Indonesian history enthusiasts, armchair travelers, and those planning explorations and adventures in Indonesia. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest nation, a place of endless contrasts and myriad cultures. This comprehensive Indonesian travel guide features over 400 stunning photographs, nine detailed maps, and insightful descriptions of the country's geography, culture, history, arts, crafts, and wildlife species. Journey Through Indonesia transports readers to each of Indonesia's significant regions including: The impressive temples and volcanoes of Java The exquisite beaches of Bali The magnificent national parks of Kalimantan The traditional villages of Nusa Tenggara The tiger-haunted forests of Sumatra The spice-scented islets of Maluku The untrammeled wilderness of Papua and much more Journey Through Indonesia beautifully captures the diversity of the culture, terrain, and population of Indonesia and creates a deeper understanding of this unique island nation.
