Studying piracy and surreptitious activities in Southeast Asia in the early modern period

Abstract

The introductory chapter fulfils a few coordinative functions for the edited volume. The objectives of the book are set at exploring the phenomenon of piracy and forms of surreptitious activities (for instance, smuggling) as well as the possible linkages between these terms/activities and war and economy and at exploring the phenomena of piracy and forms of surreptitious activities in different subregions of the Malay Archipelago and adjacent seas during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as well as the period transitioning into the nineteenth century. The rationale for the geographical and time scope selected for the book is provided. What is currently known about the ebbs and flows of piracy and smuggling, focusing largely on the western archipelagic region, is also discussed chronologically and surveyed.