"'This is such a marvellous book. I love the way it brings a structural analysis of capitalism and the state into a deep reading of history and ethnography.... I will enjoy teaching it and will recommend it to many - far beyond the boundaries of SE Asian studies.' (Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (U. California, Santa Cruz) 'Ishikawa has a deep and long-term knowledge of his subject. The mixture of historical, anthropological, and sociological approaches is inspiring, and Ishikawa mixes these genres skilfully. A detailed and impressive thick description permeates the book from the first page to the last, but it is also theoretically sophisticated. This combination sets it apart from quite a few other studies that accomplish one or the other but not both.' (Eric Tagliacozzo, Cornell University)"