GSC3502

Southeast Asian history

Keith Wilson and David Schmitt

8 points - 3 hours per week - Second semester - Gippsland and distance - Prerequisites: GSC1503 and GSC1504 or equivalents

Objectives On successful completion of this subject students should be familiar with geographic and cultural features that shaped traditional southeast Asian societies and the major historical developments, including imperialism, decolonisation, nationalism, and the rise of the military that have influenced southeast Asian countries as they developed into modern states.

Synopsis 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. Provision will be made for students studying Indonesian language subjects for the BA (Humanities and Social Sciences) to study Indonesian culture.

Assessment Mapping exercise: 20% - Tutorial paper (2000 words): 30% - Essay (3000 words): 50%

Prescribed texts

Steinberg D J (ed.) In search of Southeast Asia Allen and Unwin, 1987
Williams L E Southeast Asia: A history OUP, 1976

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