Polo & Odoric on the Pole Star
One of the many marvels noted by both Odoric of Pordenone and Marco Polo is the disappearance of the north star, presumably Polaris (α Ursae Minoris), when…
Tag: Indonesia
Polo & Odoric on the Pole Star
One of the many marvels noted by both Odoric of Pordenone and Marco Polo is the disappearance of the north star, presumably Polaris (α Ursae Minoris), when…
Polo & Odoric on the Pole Star
One of the many marvels noted by both Odoric of Pordenone and Marco Polo is the disappearance of the north star, presumably Polaris (α Ursae Minoris), when…
‘Monsoon Marketplace’ vs. ‘Silk Roads’
I want to look again at the importance of Southeast Asia in world history, which I do with some regularity on this blog. Peter Frankopan’s view of…
‘Monsoon Marketplace’ vs. ‘Silk Roads’
I want to look again at the importance of Southeast Asia in world history, which I do with some regularity on this blog. Peter Frankopan's view of…
‘Monsoon Marketplace’ vs. ‘Silk Roads’
I want to look again at the importance of Southeast Asia in world history, which I do with some regularity on this blog. Peter Frankopan’s view of…
Peter Frankopan’s ‘The Silk Roads’ – a talk at Blackwell’s
Yesterday afternoon I went to Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford to see the Byzantinist Peter Frankopan talk about his new book, The Silk Roads, which seems to be…
Peter Frankopan’s ‘The Silk Roads’ – a talk at Blackwell’s
Yesterday afternoon I went to Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford to see the Byzantinist Peter Frankopan talk about his new book, The Silk Roads, which seems to be…
Peter Frankopan’s ‘The Silk Roads’ – a talk at Blackwell’s
Yesterday afternoon I went to Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford to see the Byzantinist Peter Frankopan talk about his new book, The Silk Roads, which seems to be…
Java and Mongols in the Medieval European Sources
In 1292, towards the end of his reign, Khubilai Khan sent a fleet of ships from Quanzhou in southern China to invade East Java, then governed…
Java and Mongols in the Medieval European Sources
In 1292, towards the end of his reign, Khubilai Khan sent a fleet of ships from Quanzhou in southern China to invade East Java, then governed…
Java and Mongols in the Medieval European Sources
In 1292, towards the end of his reign, Khubilai Khan sent a fleet of ships from Quanzhou in southern China to invade East Java, then governed…
Odoric on Sago
Last week I wrote a post about sago (Metroxylon sagu), one of the most important tree crops in Indonesia, especially in Borneo, parts of Sumatra, and the…
Odoric on Sago
Last week I wrote a post about sago (Metroxylon sagu), one of the most important tree crops in Indonesia, especially in Borneo, parts of Sumatra, and the…
Chinese Sources on Indonesia – Romanisation!
Perhaps the most important language for working out a narrative history of ancient Indonesia and Malaysia, besides Malay and Javanese, is classical Chinese. It might actually be…
Marco Polo on Sago (Metroxylon sagu)
There is no single authoritative edition or manuscript detailing Marco Polo's travels. The consensus is that the first editions of what became Le Devisement du Monde were…
De’ Conti on the Durian
Yesterday I said that Niccolo de' Conti was perhaps the first European to write about the durian (Durio sp.), a fruit native to the Malay Archipelago and…
European Primary Sources for Ancient Indonesia
I've recently been delving into the European primary sources on ancient Indonesia, including Pliny the Elder, Marco Polo, Niccolo de' Conti, Antonio Pigafetta, Afonso de Albuquerque…
A Case for Agitation: On Affect and Writing
[Savage Minds is pleased to publish this essay by guest author Carla Jones as part of our Writers’ Workshop series. Carla is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado,…
Force Multipliers and Stealth Imperialism
The force multiplier mechanism is not just something envisioned in military writing, but is instead a cornerstone of US intervention, both overt and covert. The CIA uses the…
DERC seminar: Social media and West Papua by Usman Hamid
Digital Ethnography Research Centre (DERC) RMIT University, Melbourne Wed 21 October 2015, 3-4:30pm City campus, Building 13, Room 7, Level 4 Map: http://bit.ly/1PAT2vP Website: http://www.digital-eth…
Why I am not setting up a nonprofit in Bali, Indonesia
It was a warm spring day in May 2014, I was cloaked in a light blue cap and gown, surrounded by my family, and racing to my graduation…
Why I am not setting up a nonprofit in Bali, Indonesia
It was a warm spring day in May 2014, I was cloaked in a light blue cap and gown, surrounded by my family, and racing to my graduation…
17. Digital rights in Southeast Asia and beyond: a review of RightsCon 2015
Update 1 April 2015: See also PDF version. Last week I was in Manila to attend the 4th meeting of the RightsCon series, held on 24-25 March 2015.…