Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore

Baker covers the history of Malaysia and Singapore, situating their histories within the wider context of the region. The title, Crossroads, sums it up well. Referring to the wider area making up now the nation states of Malaysia, Borneo, Indonesia and Singapore as the “Malay Mediterranean”, he focuses on how the geographic position of the region, in the middle of global trading networks with China at one end of the global trading chain and first India and later Europe at the other end has made it an important entrepot in all times. Its location in the middle of this chain also made it an important prize among the European powers seeking to outcompete each other in trade.