Asian Studies

With overview essays and more than 400 A-Z entries, this exhaustive encyclopedia documents the history of Asians in America from earliest contact to the present day. Organized topically by group, with an in-depth overview essay on each group, the encyclopedia examines the myriad ethnic groups and histories that make up the Asian American population in the United States.

A collection of articles that survey the full scope of Asian history, discussing major historical events and periods from Bronze Age China to modern India, looking at the geography of the continent, profiling over 1,200 influential men and women, and examining aspects of Asian culture and society.

Nearly 700 contributors from around the world, including 25 Asian countries, provide 3,000 articles on Modern Asia from a global perspective. Historical articles emphasize people, places, events and developments that have had a lasting influence on Asia. Articles also cover Asian relations with Western nations, the relations between nations within Asia and also the flow of people, goods and ideas within Asia and globally.

Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture contains thirty-two chronologies on individual countries throughout the countries of Asia—East, South, Southeast, and Central—from the Paleolithic era through 1998.

With its coverage of environmental issues, global economics, online communications, and the latest political developments, the five-volume Berkshire Encyclopedia of China is truly a 21st-century work. While these volumes include many articles about China's earliest history - going back more than 5,000 years - the Encyclopedia of China is focused on the events, concepts, and people that matter today. The authors of its 800 accessibly written and lavishly illustrated articles, which range from 600 to 6,000 words, are scholars at major Chinese and Western universities and research institutes. Article titles appear in English and in Chinese with pinyin transliterations and tones to help those studying the language, while primary text sidebars add historical perspective. The Berkshire Encyclopedia of China provides unrivaled insight into China's past, present, and future.

Southeast Asia has long been seen as a unity, although other terms have been used to describe it: Further India, Little China, the Nanyang. The region has had a protracted maritime history. Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity are all represented. It has seen a quintet of colonial powers - Britain, France, The Netherlands, Spain, the United States. Most recently, it has become one of the fastest growing parts of the world economy. The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia is a multi-authored treatment of the whole of mainland and island Southeast Asia from Burma to Indonesia. Unlike other histories of the region, it is not divided on a country-by-country basis and is not structured purely chronologically, but rather takes a thematic and regional approach to Southeast Asia's history.

"An Introduction to South Asia" presents the geographical and historical background to the diversities of the region including including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhula and the Maldives. From the legacy of the colonial period, and the controversies that surrounded partition and independence, the book traces the consequences of social divisions - particularly of religion, caste and language - into contemporary politics.

This reference volume is the definitive guide to the economics and politics of the Middle East. It provides clear definitions detailing terms, concepts, names and organizations used in relation to current economic or political affairs in the Middle East. Entries define, explain and give further relevant information on countries, regions, ethnic groups, political parties, organizations, policies and disputes.