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.

 

Online Seminar: Revisiting Philippine Diplomatic Histories: Treaties and Treaty-Making in the Early Modern Period

Category
Events
Dates
2026-05-21 14:00 - 16:00

Webinar, 2-4 pm, PHT (for registration and more information, see the link below)

Drawing inspiration from the emerging sub-field of New Diplomatic History which challenges Eurocentric narratives of diplomacy and highlights the varied cultures and actors that shaped diplomatic practices and ideas, this online forum showcases innovative case studies of Philippine diplomatic histories in the early modern period from the country’s three main island groups namely, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. It focuses on treaty-making and diplomatic practices among indigenous groups and the role of indigenous actors in shaping diplomatic and political outcomes. The early modern Philippines (c. 1500-1800) offers a rich milieu to understand multi-layered and multi-faceted diplomacy where indigenous actors negotiated, allied or competed with groups such as the Spanish, Chinese, etc. By showcasing these three presentations, this forum hopes not only to contribute to discussions on Philippine history but also and perhaps more importantly, to global historical conversations that often miss the narratives on and agencies of non-Western diplomatic actors. 

MARK ALEXANDER DIZON, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Ateneo de Manila University
BIRGIT TREMML-WERNER, Ph.D.
Senior Lecturer, Stockholm University
GEORGE EMMANUEL BORRINAGA, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University of San Carlos, Cebu City
STEFAN AMIRELL, Ph.D. (concluding remarks)
Professor, Linnaeus University
Contact Email
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https://ac.upd.edu.ph/index.php/news-announcements/3725-revisiting-philippine-diplomatic-histories-online-roundtable

 
 

All Dates

  • 2026-05-21 14:00 - 16:00

International Publication Award for Project members

Researchers affiliated with the Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia project have received an International Publication Award from the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of the Philippines for their article "Revisiting the Treaty between Spain and Sulu of 1836/37," published in Diplomatica: A Journal of Diplomacy and Society (vol. 6, 2024)

 

Read more …

Entangled Archipelagos of Southeast Asia

Early modern Southeast Asia’s connections to European empires, including the often overlooked Swiss dimension, were the focus of a recent Zürich workshop that gathered scholars to discuss conflict, trade, migration and diplomacy across the archipelagos.

Read more …

01
Sep
Project members convene Southeast Asia diplomacy panel at EuroSEAS Madrid, Sept 2026

01
Sep
CFP Deadline: Treaties & Tributes 2027 conference. Submit to 2027conference@sea-treaties.org

19
Feb
Thammasat University, Bangkok
International conference on Asian diplomacy, treaty-making & cross-cultural relations. Bangkok, 2027

BooksIMG