WHAT IS SOUTHEAST ASIA?

Before the Second World War, historians and geographers, especially Western academics, divided Asia into two — the Near East and the Far East. Present-day Southeast Asia was included in the Far East. However, the term “Southeast Asia” was occasionally used by European, especially German writers, in the late 19th century. According to McCloud (1992), “it was first brought to general prominence with the establishment of a Southeast Asia military command by the British during World War II — one of the first attempts to bring together the previously fragmented colonial perspectives of the British, Dutch, French and Americans” (p. 12). Actually, the Southeast Asia Command (SEAC) was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill at the First Quebec Conference in August, 1943 (Fifield 1992). Ironically, the SEAC was located in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which is a part of South Asia. In other words, Southeast Asia as a regional political unit was first recognized during the Second World War.

Milton Osborne, a noted historian of Southeast Asia, agrees:

Generally, Burma (now Myanmar), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia (including present-day Brunei and Singapore) and Indonesia, were considered as some kind of geographical unit. However, the Philippines was not included. Osborne noted that while the omission of the Philippines was deliberate at the time of the Second World War, the question of whether the Philippines formed part of Southeast Asia was to remain a matter of scholarly uncertainty as late as the 1960s. Presently, Southeast Asia denotes ten nation–states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

One unique characteristic of the region is the historical influence of India and China upon its cultures, especially in religion, art and politics. However, each country has its individual style. For example, Islam predominates in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and in southern Philippines.