BACKGROUND INFO

11 COUNTRIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA - generally divided into “mainland” and “island” zones
Mainland: Myanmar (Burma), Thailand (remain independent during the colonial period), Laos,
Cambodia, and Vietnam
Island or Maritime Southeast Asia : Brunei, East Timor (formerly part of Indonesia) , Indonesia,
Malaysia, Singapore , Philippines
The major colonizers of Southeast Asia were Europeans, Japanese and the U.S. In total, there
were 7 colonial powers in Southeast Asia: Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain,
France, the United States, and Japan. From the 1500s to the mid-1940s, colonialism was
imposed over Southeast Asia.
Reason for colonization:
The Europeans were interested in colonizing Southeast Asia for the same basic reasons that
they wanted to colonize the other regions of the world.
1. natural resources (spices, precious metals)
2. cheap labor
3. to collect taxes
4. to seek mercantilist profit (new consumers of European goods)
But with Southeast Asia, there was a new reason for wanting to colonize-- it was a backdoor to
China. The Europeans really wanted to do trade with China, but China wasn't interested.
Therefore, Europe quickly colonized China's next door neighbors so that when China finally did
open up its doors to trade, Europe would be right there ready to go.
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CONDITION “BEFORE” COLONIZATION
Southeast Asian (SEA) countries were heavily influenced by Chinese and Indians
Southeast Asia was exposed to different civilizations, cultures and religions for thousands of
years now: animism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism and Islam. Culture, trade,
religion, and monarchy played a role in the state formation of Southeast Asian countries.
INHABITANTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA (ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCES)
Anthropologists agree that practically all of the people who inhabit Southeast Asia came
originally from China through migration because of international trade. This has been
established through genetic testing, as well as archaeology and linguistic analysis of Burmese,
Vietnamese, and Thai people.
PROMINENT RELIGIONS IN SEA BEFORE COLONIZATION (RELIGION INFLUENCED THE
CIVILIZATIONS – EG. GOVERNMENT)
Buddhism - Indian religion attributed to the teachings of the Buddha. Religion was spread
through trade routes (Silk Road).
Hinduism – Indian religion which also spread to SEA through trade, considered to be the oldest
religion.
Confucianism - characterized as a system of social and ethical philosophy rather than a religion.
Main principles are about autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice
Islam – introduced to SEA around 3rd century. Monotheistic. It was promulgated by Prophet
Muhammad, a messenger of God. “Muslims accepts surrender to the will of Allah.
Animism - religious belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual
essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather
systems, human handiwork and even words as animated and alive.
Mythology (Philippines) - collection of stories and superstitions about magical beings a.k.a.
deities whom our ancestors believed controlled everything.

FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Started out as families, grew into small tribes, then small kingdoms, and finally extensive
empires
MOST SEA COUNTRIES

 Practices monarchy - holds sovereign authority until death or abdication

o local Southeast Asian rulers used and indigenized practices of kingship
institutions from South Asia (rajadharma) and West Asia (sultanate)
PHILIPPINES

 Barangay, basic political unit in the country, derived from balangay, the name for the
sailboats that originally brought settlers of Malay stock to the Philippines from Borneo.
Each boat carried a large family group, and the master of the boat retained power as
leader, or datu, of the village established by his family.

http://www.seasite.niu.edu/crossroads/ty/COLONIALISM_%20IN_SE%20ASIA.htm
https://www.realclearhistory.com/articles/2018/11/15/10_southeast_asian_kingdoms_you_ne
ed_to_know_about_385.html

PRECOLONIAL KINGDOMS TO EMPIRES

MYANMAR

MYANMAR – 3 EMPIRES HAVE CREATED BEFORE COLONIALISM

In 2003 a 45-million-year-old fossil (possibly the anklebone of a large ape-like animal) was
found in central Myanmar that might just prove the area to be the birthplace of all humans. The
implication of this research is that our primate ancestors may have had Asian rather than
African origins.

NOTABLE KINGDOMS/EMPIRES BEFORE COLONIZATION

AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM – 2nd Thai Empire (1350 to 1767)

 the basic unit of social organization was the village community, composed of extended
family households
 title to land resided with the headman, who held it in the name of the community,
although peasant proprietors enjoyed the use of land as long as they cultivated it
 concept of god-king
 formal codes of civil and criminal law based on ancient Indian jurisprudence
LEGAL CODES
  formal codes of civil and criminal law based on ancient Indian jurisprudence
(AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM – THAILAND)
 based on Chinese model (Confucianism)
Pagan was a predecessor of Toungoo, and was responsible for the spread of Buddhism
throughout southeast Asia in the 9th century. Over 10,000 Buddhist temples were built under
Pagan monarchs, much to the chagrin of the traditional Hindu elite. There was not much the
Hindus could do, though, and Buddhism spread rapidly. The kingdom fell into decline in the
13th century, and when the first wave of Mongol invasions began, Pagan was too weak to
resist.

In the past, the villages and towns in outlying areas were relatively autonomous. They relied
more on patron-client relationships and personalised nature to govern and manage the
kingdoms.