Southeast Asia in the Fifteenth Century

The fifteenth century is an enigma in Southeast Asian history - too late for classical inscriptions, and generally too early for indigenous texts or European observations. The arrival of European ships, ideas and economies in the early sixteenth century has long been seen as the origin of the early modern era in Southeast Asia, but the present collection challenges this view, suggesting that intense and lasting political and economic changes were already well underway by 1500.

Geoff Wade is a historian with interests in Sino-Southeast Asian interactions, comparative historiography and the use of Chinese texts as sources for Southeast Asian history. Sun Laichen is an Associate Professor at California State University, Fullerton. He specialises in early modern Southeast Asian history, particularly the interaction between China and Mainland Southeast Asia. His research interests also include Asian gunpowder technology.