Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia

A research program in global diplomatic history

Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia is a collaborative research program in Global Diplomatic History financed by the Swedish Research Council and running from 2022 until the end of 2027.

A team of seven researchers based in Europe and Southeast Asia investigate the role of treaties and treaty-making in the imperial expansion and colonisation of Southeast Asia from the eighteenth to the early and twentieth century.

The researchers systematically analyse all bilateral treaties concluded between a European, American or Japanese imperial power and a Southeast Asian polity between the eighteenth and early twentieth century. In addition, a selected number of diplomatic treaty-making processes are studied in detail. In doing so, the project aims to bring about a new and more nuanced understanding modern imperialism of relevance not only to Southeast Asia but globally.

Project Members Invited to International Workshop in Zürich

Two of our researchers are heading to Zürich this May, invited to present at an international workshop on the entangled histories of Southeast Asia's archipelagos in the age of spice trade, colonial expansion, and diplomacy.

Revisiting Philippine Diplomatic Histories: Early Modern Treaties and Indigenous Agency

On 21 May 2026, the Asian Center at the University of the Philippines Diliman hosted a webinar in collaboration with the Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia project. The roundtable, which was initiated by Ariel Lopez and entitled “Revisiting Philippine Diplomatic Histories: Treaties and Treaty-Making in the Early Modern Period,” brought together scholars of Philippine history to explore indigenous diplomatic traditions and their role in shaping political outcomes across the archipelago.