Pirates of Empire: Colonisation and Maritime Violence in Southeast Asia

Stefan Eklöf Amirell

doi:10.1017/9781108594516

The suppression of piracy and other forms of maritime violence was a keystone in the colonisation of Southeast Asia. Focusing on what was seen in the nineteenth century as the three most pirate-infested areas in the region - the Sulu Sea, the Strait of Malacca and Indochina - this comparative study in colonial history explores how piracy was defined, contested and used to resist or justify colonial expansion, particularly during the most intense phase of imperial expansion in Southeast Asia from c.1850 to c.1920. In doing so, it demonstrates that piratical activity continued to occur in many parts of Southeast Asia well beyond the mid-nineteenth century, when most existing studies of piracy in the region end their period of investigation. It also points to the changes over time in how piracy was conceptualised and dealt with by each of the major colonial powers in the region - Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘In Pirates of Empires, Stefan Eklöf Amirell provides a detailed, often vivid presentation of the European crackdown on piracy in Southeast Asia. A refreshingly complex take on both the undeniable brutality of piracy for indigenous populations and the cynical exploitation of this scourge to advance colonial rule.'

Michael Miller - University of Miami

‘This is a complex and engaging book; it crosses a good portion of Southeast Asia, and looks at the deep history of piracy in the region from a number of inter-locking angles. Solidly researched and provocative, it helps us to look at the phenomenon of piracy in new and fascinating ways.'

Eric Tagliacozzo - Cornell University, New York

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Contents

Pirates of Empire
pp i-ii
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Pirates of Empire - Title page
pp iii-iii
Colonisation and Maritime Violence in Southeast Asia
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Contents
pp v-v
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Maps
pp vi-vi
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Preface
pp vii-viii
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Acknowledgements
pp ix-x
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Introduction
pp 1-20
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1 - Piracy in Global and Southeast Asian History
pp 21-41
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2 - The Sulu Sea
pp 42-95
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3 - The Strait of Malacca
pp 96-160
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4 - Indochina
pp 161-208
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Conclusion
pp 209-231
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Epilogue: Piracy and the End of Empire
pp 232-235
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Bibliography
pp 236-256
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Index
pp 257-266
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Pirates of Empire

Colonisation and Maritime Violence in Southeast Asia

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Contents

Pirates of Empire
pp i-ii

Pirates of Empire - Title page
pp iii-iii

Copyright page
pp iv-iv

Contents
pp v-v

Maps
pp vi-vi

Preface
pp vii-viii

Acknowledgements
pp ix-x

Introduction
pp 1-20

1 - Piracy in Global and Southeast Asian History
pp 21-41

2 - The Sulu Sea
pp 42-95

3 - The Strait of Malacca
pp 96-160

4 - Indochina
pp 161-208

Conclusion
pp 209-231

Epilogue: Piracy and the End of Empire
pp 232-235

Bibliography
pp 236-256

Index
pp 257-266

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Pirates of Empire

Colonisation and Maritime Violence in Southeast Asia

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