Southeast Asian history
BT BB DT GA PA BC BP BDT BJ BY
Subject value of 1.0 (6 points) * 3 hours per week * Second semester * Gippsland/Distance * Prerequisites: GSC1501 and GSC1502 or equivalents
This subject examines the region of Southeast Asia during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It considers the impact of colonisation, the development of nationalism and independence movements and the quest for modernisation during the post colonial period. The subject takes as its focus the nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The subject requires students to be aware of (and employ) political science skills as they apply to the countries and regions studied. The themes examined include the long-term impact of geography on the region; the importance of religion in determining the nature of Southeast Asian cultural forms; the impact of imperialism and colonisation on these nations together with a thorough examination of the postcolonial period; the problems involved in transforming traditional societies into modern socio-economic states; the internal frictions and conflicts holding back progress in the new states; and the start of rapid industrial and economic development in most of these nations in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the event that subjects on Indonesian language become available to Bachelor of Arts students provision will be made in GSC3502 (Southeast Asian history) for language students to study Indonesian culture.
Assessment
Mapping exercise: 15% * Tutorial paper (1500 words): 25% or Examination (1.5 hours): 25% * Essay (3000 words): 60%
Prescribed texts
Steinberg D J (ed.) In search of Southeast Asia Allen and Unwin, 1987
Williams L E Southeast Asia: A history OUP, 1976