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"To the Islands offers a unique perspective on the evolution of economic, social, and political interconnections between Australia and its island region spanning two centuries, from the early years of British colonization to the present day. The book advances the argument that globalizing processes are drawing Australia incrementally closer to modern-day Southeast Asia and the wider Asian Pacific. While globalization is a term commonly associated with the twentieth-century world, this study traces the history of Australia's regionalization back to the nineteenth century - to the lived experiences of Australian travelers, tourists, prospectors, and mining entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, Indies, Malaya, and Siam, or Thailand as it is known today. To the Islands is an essential book for advanced students and researchers of the history and politics of Asia, the Pacific, and Australia."--BOOK JACKET.