Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam has been honored with a book that has been published in recognition of his contributions to the field of Southeast Asian Studies.

The book is entitled Borneo and Sulawesi: Indigenous Peoples, Empires and Area Studies (Routledge, 2019) and is edited by Ooi Keat Gin.

The description of the book states that,

“This book presents a great deal of new research findings on the history of Borneo, the history of Sulawesi and the interrelationship between the two islands.  Some specific chapters focus on empires and colonizers, including the activities of James Brooke in Sulawesi, of Chinese mining communities in Borneo and of the quisling issue in immediate post-war Sarawak. Other chapters consider indigenous peoples and how different regimes have handled them.”

The description then goes on to note that,

“The book is published in honour of Victor T. King, a leading scholar in the field of Southeast Asian studies, and a final chapter discusses his contribution to scholarship, in particular his views on how area studies should be approached, and the implications of this for future research.”

This appreciation for Dr. King’s contributions comes from a group of accomplished scholars who were once Professor King’s Ph.D. students: Ooi Keat Gin (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Kim YeKyoum (Busan University of Foreign Studies), Stephen C. Druce (Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam), Shanthi Thambiah (University of Malaya), Jayum Anak Jawan (Universiti Putra Malaysia) and Ioannis Gaitanidis (Chiba University).

Borneo and Sulawesi: Indigenous Peoples, Empires and Area Studies thus offers new scholarship as well as an appreciation for Dr. King’s contributions to not only the intellectual development of the authors in this book but to the larger field of Southeast Asian Studies as well.