Geoffrey C. Gunn Boeken

"TAN MALAKA'S NAAR DE 'REPUBLIEK INDONESIA' - A Trans- lation and Commentary" is a reprint of a book of the same title that was published in Japan in 1996. This book is to 're- patriate' a work from China-Japan to Indonesia. The objective is for younger generation of Indonesians who had lived under the dictatorship of Suharto to be able to read history of their own nation objectively. We hope that this book will restore the figure of Tan Malaka to his deserved position at the center of debates on modern Indonesian history.

The book explores the dynamic cultural exchange between Asia and Europe from 1500 to 1800, highlighting a two-way flow of ideas and philosophies that fostered dialogue and peaceful interactions. Through the lens of "metageography," it delves into various aspects such as natural environments, livelihoods, religious encounters, and governance. The themes of hybridity and "creolization" of cultures are central, illustrating how these civilizations influenced each other across multiple facets of life, from language and play to crime and gender roles.

With extradition a major political issue today, this examination of the legal case of Ho Chi Minh in colonial Hong Kong offers timely insights into rule of law and extradition issues in general. Gunn sheds new light on Ho Chi Minh, communist and anti-colonial networks and Franco-British relations.

The Great Vietnamese Famine of 1945, which resulted in over a million deaths, is examined in detail, linking it to the Viet Minh's unexpected rise to power shortly after. Drawing from extensive French archival research, the author presents a new interpretation of wartime economic exploitation by Japanese and Vichy French forces. The narrative explores whether the famine indicated a loss of colonial authority or if it was the dire conditions that enabled communist success. It highlights the Vietnamese agency in their struggle for moral victory amidst colonial challenges, with lasting implications for postwar conflicts and development.

It has intrigued many that, unlike Hong Kong, Macau avoided direct Japanese wartime occupation despite being caught up in the vortex of the wider global conflict. Geoffrey Gunn and an international group of contributors come together in Wartime Macau: Under the Japanese Shadow to investigate how Macau escaped the fate of direct Japanese invasion and occupation. Exploring the broader diplomatic and strategic issues during that era, this volume reveals that the occupation of Macau was not in Japan's best interest because the Portuguese administration in Macau posed no threat to Japan's control over the China coast and acted as a listening post to monitor Allied activities.Drawing upon archival materials in English, Japanese, Portuguese, and other languages, the contributors explain how, under the high duress of Japanese military agencies, the Portuguese administration coped with a tripling of its population and issues such as currency, food supply, disease, and survival. This volume presents contrasting views on wartime governance and shows how the different levels of Macau society survived the war.