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Introduction Island Southeast Asia (ISEA), situated between Mainland China, Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), and Oceania, has been among the worlds most significant passageways of human migrations since more than one million years ago (1 Ma). Hominids such as <i>Homo erectus</i> lived in Java at least as early as 1.2 to 0.8 Ma. The high diversity of landscape, population, and culture in ISEA makes it an attractive place for archaeology, especially regarding issues such as the origins, dispersal, and interaction of ancient populations at different time depths and geographic routes. One challenge, though, has been the fragmented nature of the archaeological record here, well documented in some cases while understudied in other areas. As almost every region in ISEA has been colonialized by external countries, the discipline of archaeology has developed with influence from those imposed political systems. Some distinctions can be noticed before and after World War II. At different times, the Philippines were claimed by Spain and the USA, Malaysia was under British authority, Indonesia was controlled by the Netherlands, East Timor was ruled by Portugal, and a broad and diverse expanse of the region was occupied by Japan. This entry offers a large-scale view of archaeological practice in the region of ISEA. First, the history of the discipline is reviewed, from its inception through the present day. Next, key research issues and debates are identified, such as regarding the formation of the major populations of cultural groups living in ISEA during different periods of human evolution. Special focus here is given to the ongoing questions about the origins and dispersals of the Austronesian groups, involving input from archaeology, linguistics, genetics, and additional studies over the last few decades. This review provides a basis to consider international perspectives and future directions of archaeology in ISEA.
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