BOOK: Kevin TAN and Bui NGOC SON (Eds.), Constitutional Foundings in Southeast Asia (Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2019). ISBN 9781509918928, £70.00

(Source: Bloomsbury)

Bloomsbury is publishing a new book on the first constitutions at the founding of modern nation-states in Southeast Asia.

ABOUT THE BOOK

This volume focuses on the making, nature, and role of the first modern constitutions at the founding of the modern nation-states in Southeast Asia. These historical essays add richly to our understanding and appreciation of the founding moments and to the theory and practice of constitutionalism in these states. This volume makes three significant contributions. First, it helps plug the wide knowledge gap in comparative constitutional history in Southeast Asia. Second, it furthers our understanding of contemporary constitutional practice and also anticipates possible developmental trajectories in light of the foundational values embedded in and manifested through these constitutions. Third, through the comparative historical study of these early constitutions, plausible theoretical insights may be gained to further our understanding of Southeast Asia's constitutional history. The book is essential reading for those wishing to obtain a deeper understanding of the constitutional foundings of Southeast Asia.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Kevin YL Tan is a leading scholar of Singapore's constitution and has written and edited over 30 books on the law, politics and history of Singapore. He is currently Adjunct Professor at both the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore and the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. He is also Executive Editor of the Asian Journal of Comparative Law and Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Yearbook of International Law.

Bui Ngoc Son is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Kevin YL Tan & Bui Ngoc Son, 'Southeast Asian Constitutional Foundings: A Constitutional-History Perspective'

2. Leia Castañeda Anastacio, 'Keeping Close to Shore: Preserving Colonial Legacies in the 1935 Philippine Constitution'

3. Koichi Kawamura, 'The Origins of the 1945 Indonesian Constitution'

4. Leigh-Ashley Lipscomb, 'Timor-Leste's Post-Revolutionary Constitution: From Foundations to Practice

5. Maitrii Aung-Thwin, 'The Making of Myanmar's 1947 Constitution: Geography, Ethnicity, and Law'

6. H. Kumarasingham, 'A Foreign Commission for Domestic Needs: The Constitutional Founding of Malaysia'

7. Kevin YL Tan, 'Foundational Moments: The 'Singapore Constitution'

8. BA Hussainmiya, 'The Making of the Brunei's 1959 Constitution'

9. Stein Tønnesson, 'Not Meant to Last: Vietnam's First Constitution'

10. Martin Stuart-Fox, 'The Lao Constitution of 1947/1949: Creating a Nation-State

11. Teilee Kuong, 'The First Constitution-Making in Cambodia: Colonialism, Modernism, Nationalism and the Implications'

12. Eugenie Mérieau, 'The 1932 Compromise Constitution: Matrix of Thailand's Permanent Constitutional Instability'

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