Security Strategies in International Business History: German Companies in Asia in the 20th Century

This edited volume explores how German companies managed security challenges in Asia from the late 19th to the late 20th century. Through case studies in Japan, China, India, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, it examines how firms in sectors like pharmaceuticals, electronics, banking, and trade adapted to colonial legacies, decolonization, and Cold War tensions. The book adopts a security- focused framework that goes beyond standard risk analysis, highlighting how businesses responded to political instability, cultural differences, and regulatory shifts. Drawing from rarely used German and Asian archives, contributors uncover the strategies companies used to maintain stability in uncertain environments. Aimed at business historians, scholars of international business, and those studying colonialism, diplomacy, and development, the volume also appeals to students and researchers in Asian, German, international relations, and security studies. By offering a comparative and cross- sectoral approach, it fills key gaps in understanding German- Asian economic ties and offers fresh theoretical insights into business resilience. The rich empirical material makes it a valuable resource for teaching and research on how international firms shaped and adapted to the global changes of the 20th century.

Marie Huber is a historian at Phillips University Marburg specializing in economic history with a focus on postcolonial contexts in Africa and Asia. Her research interests include global industrialization processes, environmental economic history, and the intersection of development studies with historical analysis.

Shakila Yacob is a professor at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, Sunway University. At the intersection of her expertise as a business historian and political scientist, her research explores business history, international business, comparative politics, and more recently, public policy.

Christian Kleinschmidt is Professor for Economic and Social History at the Philipps- University Marburg. His main research topics are Business History, Consumption History and the History of International Economic Relations.