04.11.2025 New edited volume on Security Strategies in International Business History published

The edited volume Security Strategies in International Business History. German Companies in Asia in the 20th Century, published by Marie Huber, Shakila Yacob, and Christian Kleinschmidt, examines how German companies in the 20th century responded to security-related challenges in Asia and what strategies they developed to stabilize their business activities in politically, economically, and socially volatile contexts. The case studies range from the late 19th to the late 20th century and shed light on German corporate practices in Japan, China, India, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia.

About the Volume

Rather than analyzing business history primarily through the lens of “risk”, the editors propose focusing on questions of “security”. This theoretical approach opens up new perspectives on decision-making processes, adaptation strategies, and resilience mechanisms of companies operating in uncertain political and economic environments. Security is understood here as a concept constructed by historical actors - one that goes beyond technical risk prevention and includes issues of stability, predictability, and agency.

The chapters show how German companies dealt with uncertainty in colonial, postcolonial and Cold War contexts. They explore strategies for securing raw materials during the colonial era, how companies navigated nationalizing economies after Asian countries gained independence, and how they cooperated within socialist systems during the Cold War. Drawing on examples from the pharmaceutical, engineering, chemical, banking, and trading sectors, the contributions reveal patterns of corporate adaptation and influence across different political systems.

With its focus on security, risk, and resilience, the volume makes a twofold contribution to current debates. First, it expands international business history by introducing a theoretical concept that has so far been largely confined to critical security studies and international relations. Second, it enriches (post-)colonial economic history by adding a German perspective on Asia - a topic that remains underexplored. Based on extensive research in largely untapped archives in Germany and Asia, the volume provides new empirical insights into the global entanglements of German enterprises. It demonstrates how historical analyses of corporate security strategies can help us better understand long-term patterns of economic adaptability in periods of global crisis and transformation.

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