International Convention of Asia Scholars (ICAS)

This pioneering work from a member of Malaysia's new generation of historians is a tale of two very different cities. Drawing on a large volume of archival records, many of them not used by earlier historians, Trade and Society in the Straits of Melaka examines the social and economic fabric of Melaka and Penang, the one very much a Dutch town and the other British. By documenting the impact of imperialist ambitions on the economy and society of two major trading centres, this book breaks new ground and will provide a point of reference for all future research concerning the period. 'This is a genuine pioneering study of Malaysian urban history that breaks much new ground. At its best it is a fine-grained social history of which we have seen far too little in Southeast Asia.' - Professor Tony Reid, Director, Asia Research Institute, Singapore