Early Southeast Asia: Selected Essays by O. W. Wolters (Book Review‪)‬

Early Southeast Asia: Selected Essays by O. W. Wolters. Edited by CRAIG REYNOLDS. Ithaca: SOUTHEAST ASIA PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 2008. Pp. xii + 236. "By the 1970s, O. W. Wolters was unarguably the most influential historian of early Southeast Asia writing in the English-speaking world" (p. 1). So begins Craig Reynolds' extensive introduction to his newly published anthology of some of Wolters' most groundbreaking articles. This is an uncharacteristically bold way to begin what is a measured, clear, and informative overview of Wolters' life and intellectual legacy. In fact, throughout the introduction, Reynolds restrains himself, sometimes overly so, from waxing eloquently on the massive impact Wolters has had on the fields of Southeast Asian studies and history more broadly. He also refrains from indulging in an extensive discussion of the controversial concepts and theories for which Wolters is known. The aim of this book is to give the present generation of scholars a chance to read or reread a large body of Wolters' work with fresh eyes. It is unornamented and useful. The editor allows Wolters to stand on his own. However, since the introduction is so straightforward, in this brief review I would like not only to summarize Reynolds' introduction and highlight some of the most important articles in this anthology, but also to suggest some ways in which we cannot only remember Wolters, but continue learning from his life and career.