Smail, John R[ichard] W[harton] (1930–2002)

John R[ichard] W[harton] Smail was an American historian specializing in Southeast Asia, and in particular, Indonesia. He pioneered the notion that Southeast Asia should possess an autonomous history, as novel when he initially expounded it in the early 1960s as it is in contemporary times. The University of Wisconsin specifically, and the USA in general, owed much to his efforts in bringing forth innovative programs and the setting up of a center focusing on Southeast Asian studies.