About this episode

Olivier Hein discusses the complex history and current political significance of Borneo in his book 'Borneo: The History of an Enigma'.

Borneo—split between two countries, home to some of the world’s oldest rainforests and a vast array of animal and plant life—is back in the news. The island is set to be home to Nusantara, Indonesia’s new planned political capital set to, maybe, open in 2028. And the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak—different from the rest of Peninsular Malaysia—are griping for more rights and authority to control its own wealth. Author Olivier Hein tackles the long history of Borneo in his latest book titled, appropriately, Borneo: The History of an Enigma (Hurst, 2025). He tackles Borneo’s indigenous communities; the spread of Hindu, Chinese, Muslim and European influence; the rise of the White Rajah; and how Borneo is treated by today’s modern nations. A former diplomat with the UN, the OSCE and the UK, Olivier Hein has undertaken postings in Kosovo, Turkmenistan, the USA and France. He is also the author of Star and Key: The Historical Adventure of Mauritius and Mother of the World: The Remarkable History of Turkmenistan. He is also a regular contributor to The Chap magazine. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of…

People in this episode

Host: Nicholas Gordon

Guest: Olivier Hein

Topics covered

• Borneo
• history
• politics
• indigenous communities
• environment
• cultural influence

Keywords

• Borneo
• Olivier Hein
• history
• politics
• indigenous communities
• environment
• Nusantara
• Malaysia
• Indonesia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New Books Network, The Chap

Books & works: Borneo: The History of an Enigma, Star and Key: The Historical Adventure of Mauritius, Mother of the World: The Remarkable History of Turkmenistan

Places: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak

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