Does the geographical body of a nation state really inscribe spatial and temporal boundaries on people's mental maps, asks Ishikawa (Southeast Asian studies, Kyoto U.), and what kind of national order emerges when the state attempts to enforce its claims to territoriality. To find answers, he looks to the past 140 years in zones surrounding a border across the western part of the island of Borneo that separates the Malaysian state of Sarawak from West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The two regions are culturally similar, he explains, but vastly different in economic, political, and historical circumstances. The original Japanese Kyokai no shakaishi, published by the National University of Singapore, won the 2008 Kashiyama Junzo Award for social sciences on Asia. Annotation 2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
