In Chasing Archipelagic Dreams, David R. Saunders demonstrates that the withdrawal of the British imperial state from Sabah did not result in the decolonization of the territory. From the late 1940s to the 1960s, international anti-colonialism interacted with regional competition over Sabah to result in a paradoxical increase of British power and influence on the ground. Meanwhile, ethnic, social, and political heterogeneity in Sabah contributed to fragmentation and disunity, undermining the development of a local anti-colonial movement. Instead, a class of influential local elites seized power as competing attempts by the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaya to incorporate the territory into their respective archipelagic spheres grew in strength. Due to these local and international rivalries, Saunders argues, Sabah's eventual merger with the Federation of Malaysia in 1963 prompted an extension of colonial-style rule, resource extraction, the suppression of local autonomy, and the imposition of an externally-configured national identity.

Chasing Archipelagic Dreams underscores the significance of regional rivalries in the South China Sea and highlights the fate of subaltern communities bisected by (post)colonial borders.

David R. Saunders is a historian of decolonization and state formation in Southeast Asia. He has published on maritime geopolitical disputes, colonial commissions of inquiry, and anti-colonial movements. Beyond history, David is a photographer specializing in urban and street photography, documenting Hong Kong's architectural, neon, and built heritage

A highly original piece of work that brings local perspectives to bear on Sabah's frustrated decolonization with a stress on the contingency and variation in forms and outcomes of decolonization that engages the best of imperial history.

Su Lin Lewis, author of Cities in Motion:

An important contribution to the field, with a nuanced and engaging treatment of the rise of Bornean nationalist movements and competing visions of state-building in decolonizing Southeast Asia.