On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942
<p>This thesis studies the emergence of Sandakan and Jesselton as the principal urban centres in the State of North Borneo from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Despite their small population and physical size relative to the major cities of Southeast Asia, these port towns we...
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2021
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| _version_ | 1797067361558200320 |
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| author | Yeo, MCM |
| author2 | Darwin, JG |
| author_facet | Darwin, JG Yeo, MCM |
| author_sort | Yeo, MCM |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>This thesis studies the emergence of Sandakan and Jesselton as the principal urban centres in the State of North Borneo from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Despite their small population and physical size relative to the major cities of Southeast Asia, these port towns were gateways to the interior and nodes in regional systems of exchange. This thesis compares the birth, expansion, and maturation of the two towns to examine the nature of urbanization in what was then considered a remote and unexplored land. It contends that geography and colonial capitalism were the primary factors that shaped the economic and social development of the towns. Their different spatial settings created two distinct and discrete hinterland systems within the territory, which were each centred on Sandakan and Jesselton. At the same time, the government built a territorial economy that was geared towards external markets and based on an ethnic stratification of labour, resulting in striking demographic and sociological similarities across the two towns. As a whole, this thesis contributes to the urban history of maritime Asia by stressing the significance of small ports both in connecting the region and in providing counterpoints to studies of major ports.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:55:11Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:4cad219a-2dbc-461a-ad77-25ef07076160 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T21:55:11Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:4cad219a-2dbc-461a-ad77-25ef070761602022-03-26T15:50:54ZOn the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942Thesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:4cad219a-2dbc-461a-ad77-25ef07076160Great Britain--Colonies--AsiaEconomic historyCities and townsMalaysia, EastPort citiesBorneoSocial historyEnglishHyrax Deposit2021Yeo, MCMDarwin, JG<p>This thesis studies the emergence of Sandakan and Jesselton as the principal urban centres in the State of North Borneo from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Despite their small population and physical size relative to the major cities of Southeast Asia, these port towns were gateways to the interior and nodes in regional systems of exchange. This thesis compares the birth, expansion, and maturation of the two towns to examine the nature of urbanization in what was then considered a remote and unexplored land. It contends that geography and colonial capitalism were the primary factors that shaped the economic and social development of the towns. Their different spatial settings created two distinct and discrete hinterland systems within the territory, which were each centred on Sandakan and Jesselton. At the same time, the government built a territorial economy that was geared towards external markets and based on an ethnic stratification of labour, resulting in striking demographic and sociological similarities across the two towns. As a whole, this thesis contributes to the urban history of maritime Asia by stressing the significance of small ports both in connecting the region and in providing counterpoints to studies of major ports.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Great Britain--Colonies--Asia Economic history Cities and towns Malaysia, East Port cities Borneo Social history Yeo, MCM On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title | On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title_full | On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title_fullStr | On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title_short | On the edges of Borneo: the port towns of Sandakan and Jesselton, 1879–1942 |
| title_sort | on the edges of borneo the port towns of sandakan and jesselton 1879 1942 |
| topic | Great Britain--Colonies--Asia Economic history Cities and towns Malaysia, East Port cities Borneo Social history |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yeomcm ontheedgesofborneotheporttownsofsandakanandjesselton18791942 |